


Phoenix

by trashqueen (gorgeouslyunderrated)



Category: South Park
Genre: Fluff, Gay, Implied abuse, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Poor Butters, angst but with inevitable fluff, friends being there for each other, making the best out of nothing, prision AU, really terrible pasts, will eventually be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-03 19:46:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13348236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gorgeouslyunderrated/pseuds/trashqueen
Summary: Leopold Stotch used to think the future held brightness, that his terrible reality will improve and then soon it would all be like a dream. Leopold quickly realized that wasn't the truth. He has spent his entire life suffering, and he was positive it wouldn't end.What Leopold didn't account for was Kenny McCormick; a rough kid from a tiny ass town in the middle of no where who is intent on breaking through Leopold's barriers. And, actually, Leopold thinks he might be successful and finds himself not minding one bit.





	1. New Beginnings

Life always works itself out for the best. That was Leopold Stotch’s mantra during his childhood, when he foolishly looked towards the future with hope. Back then, the future held better days. Now at the ripe age of twenty two, Leopold knew better. He knew that life was a shit show that was a downhill spiral from day one. 

So there he sat, bouncing around on a bus, partly due to the bus and partly due to his jitteriness, and hugging a pillow tight to his chest. His face was red and splotched from crying, and his tangled, light blonde hair hung in his eyes. Leopold had known for years that this wasn’t fair, but he still cried like he did when it happened at first. Leoplod squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep more tears in. 

He turns to his right, and sees a tall man staring out the window. Now, Leopold was extremely small for his age, and it was only exaggerated by his lankiness as well; however, this man was tall even by a normal person’s standards. He had extremely dark black hair and dull gray eyes that moved with the scenery. 

He and Leopold were the only two on the bus. Leopold sighed heavily as he trembled just at the thought of what would await him. He was told that he was going to a special, experimental facility started by the state. That it would rehabilitate him and that once he was deemed capable of being a contributing member of society, he would be released on probation. Considering where Leopold had come from, he didn’t trust a word the guards told him, partly because they were all liars and also because Leopold knew it couldn’t be that good. He had been through enough to know that. 

The bus shuddered to a halt, and Leopold lurched forward before righting himself back on the seat. A large, dark skinned man clambered on the bus. He wore a typical guard’s uniform, complete with a pressed, sky blue top, starch black pants and, of course, a utility belt that carried a baton and taser, amongst other things.

“Alright, let’s go,” the man’s voice bellows, making Leopold jump visibly. 

“Yeah, yeah, chill out Chef,” the man next to Leopold stated. 

Leopold was confused. Why did this man know the guard? Had he been here before? Isn’t the point of this place is to not come back? 

“He’s not so scary. Just has a deep voice,” the man said to Leopold, standing over him and holding out a hand. 

Leopold instinctively shrinked away and stood up abruptly. The man dropped his hand and said, “Okay, don’t take my help.” 

Leopold looked down and shrugged. The last thing he needed was to owe anyone for anything. 

“Look, it’s cool. Lets just get off the bus before Chef yells at us,” the man says, turning to walk towards the front of the bus. 

Leopold follows behind him and practically stumbles down the bus stairs. He blinks at the brightness outside, but he doesn’t have much time before he is ushered inside the stark white building. 

Oh great, an other mental asylum, Leopold thinks. 

Upon entering the building, Leopold was stripped down and searched for drugs. He placed his hands over his junk and trained his eyes on the ground. The last thing he wanted was to be stark naked with strangers that were trying to see if he had drugs up his asshole. He was trembling from the embarrassment. However, the man from the bus seemed to have no issues with this process. He stood tall and proud, not even bothering to cover himself. Leopold could only wish for that kind of self confidence. 

With the uncomfortable process over, Leopold was permitted to put his clothes back on. He did so quickly and with great relief. He was then shuffled along a long corridor. The shuffling was brought to an abrupt halt when someone screamed, “You bastard! What the hell are you doing here!” 

Leopold turned terrified. Behind them was a furious red head, the color of his face nearly matching his hair. His green eyes narrowed into a glare, and Leopold was relieved to see that it was directed at the man from the bus, not himself. The man looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could the red head huffed and turned, moving at lightning speed in the opposite direction. Leopold’s trembling calmed down to a light tremor when the red head left, but the man next to him looked purely dejected. Leopold almost felt bad for him, a feeling that he had not felt in what was quite possibly years. The more interactions Leopold had with this man, the more curious he became. Why was he here? Why did that red head hate him, and why did he looked like a kicked puppy when the red head stormed off? 

“Well, Marsh, looks like you have some explaining to do,” Chef said before ushering the two back down the corridor. They eventually arrived at a stark white door. 

“This is where you two will stay, with two others, until we can come up with room assignments for you two. Your room assignments will be based off of your meetings with your counselor today,” Chef explained as he pushed open the door. 

Before they walked in, Chef handed each one a small plastic bag of shampoo, soap and deodorant. Leopold gave a small smile to the large man as a silent thanks for the items. Luckily, he seemed to get the message. 

“Just remember, this is supposed to be a place of healing, but that can only happen if you cooperate,” Chef said. 

The man from the bus just waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder as he sauntered in the room. Leopold just mutely followed, but internally rolled his eyes. He knew that nothing would ever get better for him. For most others, yeah, but for Leopold, definitely not. 

In the room, which was, surprise, stark white, were two bunk beds, each on opposite walls. On one bunk sat a tall, dark skinned man with piercing brown eyes. Next to him was a man with chocolate hair and eyes to match. His features were fine, which made him mildly attractive, but they didn’t make him look like a girl. It was a good balance, Leopold thought. 

“Stan, what in the hell are you doing here?” The dark skinned man asked with a harsh tone. 

“Look, Token, I know what you’re going to say, but I have a reason,” Stan replied, throwing his hands up in defense. 

“Don’t try to be mysterious dude. We all know it’s Kyle. But man, he is going to be pissed,” the brunette stated. 

“Yeah, I already know,” Stand replied. 

“So that’s what that screaming was,” Token said thoughtfully, although Leopold had a feeling he already knew what it was. 

Stan climbed into the top bed on the unoccupied bunk, leaving Leopold with the bottom. He didn’t mind it, less of a chance for him to fall off. Leopold sat down on the bed and hugged his pillow to his chest. 

“And, what’s your name?” Token asked, obviously talking to Leopold. 

Leopold almost talked, almost blurted out his entire life story, but he stopped himself. Leopold loved nothing more than to talk, but it had gotten him into some serious trouble. So he had learned his lesson. Don’t talk, under any circumstances. Instead he just stared blankly at the man. He seemed nice, but Leopold knew better than to judge a book by its cover. 

“Hasn’t said a word since we got here. Don’t think he talks,” Stan said above him. Leopold nodded to confirm what Stan had said. Token looked upon him with sad eyes, but nodded his head in understanding. Leopold strangely felt safe. He knew that he shouldn’t, because whenever he felt safe bad things happened. However, it was hard when everyone here was being so nice, at least on the surface. 

“Chef says his name is Leopold,” Stan explains. Leopold also nodded to confirm this. 

“Well, hi Leopold! I’m Clyde, this is Token and that dummy above you is Stan,” the brunette said cheerily from across the room. Leopold couldn’t help but look at him in amazement. How could he be so happy? He was even more confused when he caught Token gazing contently at Clyde. This was all too confusing for Leopold. 

…

“So, why are you with us in this facility?” The man across from Leopold asked. It was his counselor, Mr. Mackey. He had an incredibly large head which was already balding and beady, weary eyes. Leopold had to wonder how a man with such a big head could be so stupid. He was reading his file. He had everything he needed to know right in front of him. 

“Hmm, not talking. Well, that is understandable. Until you are ready to talk, I will devise a therapy plan focused on actions,” he stated. Leopold wanted to slam his head into the desk separating the two. Mr. Mackey made Leopold want to never talk again. 

“Now, I just need you to sign this medical release form so we can get you your proper medicine. Stay on your medicine and you should begin to get better,” Mr. Mackey explained. 

Leopold had heard this many times before. He grabbed the paper from Mr. Mackey and picked up a pen, signing the paper and slamming it down on the desk. Mr. Mackey, satisfied by the meeting, allowed Leopold to leave for dinner. 

Leopold walked with his head down and ignored anyone who even looked at him. It wasn’t the first time he had been ogled and it wouldn’t be the last. He was aware that he looked like a girl. Not only was he small and skinny, but his features were also petite. He had sea blue eyes and a perfectly straight nose. His heart shaped face pulled his features into a position that made him look remarkably feminine. 

Upon reaching the dining hall, Leopold stepped into line and picked up a tray. The tray had mystery meat, mashed potatoes and green beans. Leopold lifted his head only to look for a place to sit. He noticed Stan was at a table by himself and Leopold approached it. He stood awkwardly by Stan, waiting for the man to notice him. When he did he jumped a little. 

“Oh, hey, Leopold. Sorry I didn’t see you,” Stand said sheepishly. 

Leopold gestures with his hand to a spot on the bench, and Stan replies with, “Oh, yes of course.” 

Leopold sits down and stares at his meal for a while. He really wasn’t hungry, a side effect of his meds. He knew he had to eat though, so he took a deep breath and shoved a piece of mystery meat into his mouth. He scrunched his face up a little and swallowed as quickly as he could. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to bad food, it was just that his body really didn’t want him to eat. He shoved a green bean in and repeated the same process. He got to a point where he considered this sufficient and began picking at his food. 

“You don’t eat either, huh?” Stan questioned. 

Leopold just shrugged as he continued to play with his food. He heard familiar voices approaching the table, and soon Clyde and Token were sitting across from him and next to Stan. Leopold smiled at them, and Clyde practically beamed. 

“See, I told you he liked us,” Clyde said to Token.

“I didn’t say he didn’t like us, I said you should leave him alone,” Token replied. Clyde just rolled his eyes. 

“Woah! The rumors are true, you really are back!” A voice shouted. Stan turned to a skinny man with shaggy, dirty blonde hair. He had deep blue eyes and his smile showed a gap between his canine and his molars. Leopold almost thought it was cute. Again, he was confused considering nothing was cute to Leopold anymore. 

Leopold quickly returned to playing with his food as Stan got up and hugged the man. He ignored their conversation until he felt someone sit next to him. Leopold jumped, and scooted as far to the edge of the bench as he could. The man Stan had been talking too was now sitting beside Leopold. 

“Leopold, this is Kenny McCormick. He’s a childhood friend of ours,” Stan explained. Leopold was confused by “ours.” Did he mean Token and Clyde as well. 

“Yep that’s right, we all lived in the same town together,” Kenny replied, as if he was reading Leopold’s mind. 

Leopold nodded his head in understanding and Kenny smiled back at him. 

“He doesn’t talk,” Stan clarified. 

“I figured,” Kenny replied, leaning even further into Leopold’s personal space. Strangely, Leopold didn’t mind that much. Something about Kenny calmed him, even though Leopold knew that had always ended badly for him. 

“So Stan, why in fucks sake are you back here?” Kenny asked. 

Stan sighed. 

“Kyle and I left on bad terms. I kept sending him letters and calling him, but nothing. I think he really hates me now, guys. I didn’t know what to do. He even had me taken off of his visitors list. I couldn’t talk to him any other way,” Stan said, looking like he was trying to hold back tears. 

“So naturally, your dumb ass decided to get thrown back into prison and you somehow convinced a panel that you needed to come back here to be ‘rehabilitated’ again. Stan, if I could I would give you a Nobel Prize in Fuckery right this second,” Kenny said, strangely serious. Leopold was shocked at how serious he could sound saying something so ridiculous. 

“I know, I know. But I have to talk to him, and it’s the only thing I can think of,” Stand replied. 

“Ah, young love,” Token chimed in, sounding much like a mother. 

Leopold was completely and utterly confused. Love? That existed in a place like this? Clearly it did, but Leopold just never thought it possible. He found himself really feeling bad for Stan and he almost wanted to help. He knew that he would only make things worse though. 

Stan groaned and stood up. “I’m going back to the room. Leopold, want to come with?” He asked. Leopold nodded, relieved that he could stop playing with his food now. 

“I’ll come with you,” Kenny said. 

Clyde spluttered and Token facepalmed. 

“Kenny, the newbie will be here tomorrow. You don’t have to stalk him back to his room,” Clyde states as he too stood up. 

“Fuck you Clyde. I shall have you know that I am just going to make sure the newbie knows the lay of the land,” Kenny replied, punctuating it by flipping the bird at Clyde. 

As promised, Kenny walked with Leopold back to his room, telling him where to find everything along the way. Leopold gave Kenny a smile and a nod in thanks when they got to his room. 

“Alright cutie, now you are safe sleeping with those dorks okay. Stan is head over heels for Kyle and Clyde and Token have the hots for each other, so you won’t get raped in the night or anything. But still be careful when you’re not around those guys, this place is still a lot like prison. The state doesn’t have the money to make it the ‘paradise’ it’s supposed to be, so people do try to getcha, especially with your looks and all,” Kenny warned. Leopold hesitantly nodded in reply, trying to decide if he should extremely terrified of the place he was in or flattered by Kenny’s kindness and comment on his appearance. Leopold, by default, chose to be terrified. 

“See ya tomorrow!” Kenny sang as he waved and continued down the corridor. 

“Kenny is a really good dude. He’s rough around the edges, but still is really good,” Stan said when Leopold walked in the room. Leopold nodded in understanding. 

Leopold crawled into his bed and pulled the sheet over him. He rolled towards the wall and closed his eyes. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep well, but he could at least ignore the world if he pretended to sleep. Only once the lights had gone out and there was only soft breathing around him, did Leopold let tears slip down his cheeks. He hated crying, yet he relied on it so heavily. That night was just another of many nights that he had cried himself to sleep.


	2. Comfort

Leopold Stotch felt like he had been hit by a truck, then a train and then loaded into a rocket and launched into the sun. In short, he felt awful. He eyes were crusted shut from crying and he could feel mucus in his throat, making it hard to breathe. After prying his eyes open and blinking away the sleep, Leopold realized that he was the only one up. The clock that was hung above the door read five a.m. Leopold sighed as he sat up on the bed. He supposed now would probably be the best time to get a shower in. 

After grabbing the things he would need, Leopold trudged down the corridors to the community bathroom. Lucky for him, only one other guy was in there. Leopold picked the shower in the far corner and turned on the water once he had stripped down. He stuck his hand in and was surprised to find the water to be warm. Leopold stepped in and quickly washed his hair and his body. As nice as the warm water was, Leopold didn’t want to be caught in here with a lot of other men. 

Almost as quickly as he stepped in, Leopold stepped out and got redressed. He decided to go to breakfast after dropping his shower stuff back in his room. All of his roommates were still asleep. Leopold raced out, trying to get in and out of the dining hall as quickly as possible. There was no one in line, and Leopold was able to pick up his food immediately. He sat down at the same table from yesterday and stared down at the yellow mush he guessed were eggs. 

Leopold picked at his food, and forced a tiny nibble down his throat. He took a sip of orange juice to try and soothe his throat that was sore from crying. 

Leopold jumped when a tray slammed down next to him. Instinctually, he moved to the edge of the bench. 

“Woah, woah, calm down Leopold. It’s just me,” Leopold heard. He looked up and was relieved to find Kenny. The man sat down next to him, and Leopold returned to picking at his food. 

“You know Leopold, you name is a mouthful,” Kenny said, ironically with his mouth full of eggs. 

But that’s my name. Can’t help it, Leopold thought as he stared blankly at Kenny. 

“I mean, I know its your name and all, but like, you need a nickname,” Kenny replied, again as if he could hear what Leopold was thinking. 

Leopold just shrugged as Kenny looked at him thoughtfully. Leopold was a little flustered at being under such scrutiny, and turned his eyes back to his food as he blushed slightly. 

“I got it!” Kenny exclaimed, leaning in towards Leopold. Kenny grabbed a strand of Leopold’s hair gently and said, “Butters! Cause you hair looks like butter! And it also works cause your last name is stotch, which sounds like scotch, so you can be butterscotch, but Butters for short!” 

Leopold looked down as he thought about it. As Kenny let go of his hair, Leopold looked up and smiled. 

“I’m glad you like it! I must say, I am pretty proud of it myself,” Kenny stated. 

“You’re proud of everything,” a monotonous voice stated. 

Leopold looked up to find yet an other tall man with black hair and blue eyes. Behind him stood a man with blonde hair that was a literally rats nest; Leopold could have sworn he saw something move in that mess. The man was twitching and his green eyes swept around the wildly, like he was prepared for an ambush at any moment. 

Kenny sighed and said, “Butters, this is Craig Tucker and Tweek Tweak.” 

Leopold smiled and gave a small wave. 

“What? You don’t talk?” Craig asked. 

Tweek pushed Craig in the back and exclaims, “Of course not Craig! Don’t be an asshole.” 

Leopold was shocked. The spaz was able to stand up tp Mr. Tough Guy? 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry babe. Rough night,” Craig replied as he sat down. Tweek sat next to him. 

“I know, but still not a good excuse,” Tweek stated, leaning into Craig’s side. 

Ah. It made sense to Leopold now. Those two were together. What Leopold really didn’t get was how could so many people be dating in such a harsh place. Leopold was shaken from his thoughts when he heard a gagging noise beside him. Leopold turned, actually worried someone was throwing up, only to find Kenny sticking his tongue out and making a face at the couple across from them. It was actually mildly comical and Leopold cracked a smile. 

“You guys are disgustingly cute,” Kenny states, making a face of disgust. 

Craig just replied by flipping Kenny off and pulling Tweek in closer. Leopold kind of felt warm looking at the couple. Kenny was right, they were disgustingly cute. Leopold kind of felt happy for them, a feeling Leopold was sure he had never felt since age five. It was strange, but he didn’t mind it. 

…

Butters stood outside his door as he squinted at a bright pink piece of paper. It was his new roommate assignment. He noticed that Clyde and Token ended up together before he reached his own name. It stated his room, which was section A, room twelve, and his roommate, who was none other than Kenny. Leopold couldn’t help but smile. He had to admit he had come to like Kenny. 

Leopold felt someone come up behind him, and he turned to see it was Stan. Leopold stepped out of the way so Stan could see the paper. Leopold didn’t miss the glint in Stan’s eyes when he read his assignment. Leopold knew that he was with Kyle. 

“Alright everyone, to your new rooms!” Leopold heard a voice bellow. He poked his head out to find Chef walking down the corridor. Leopold grabbed his belongings quickly as he stumbled back out of the room. Chef handed him a burlap bag. 

“New uniforms. Change when you get to your rooms. Leave your old ones out for laundry,” Chef explained and Leopold nodded. 

Leopold walked the way Kenny had shown him yesterday in order to get to section A. Printed above each door was a number. Leopold walked until he found room twelve. He opened the door tentatively and found Kenny sitting on his bed. Kenny looked up immediately and then yelled “Butters!” Kenny began racing towards Leopold, arms out, and Leopold expertly stepped to the side, letting Kenny run out of the room.   
“Wow, rude,” Kenny replied, looking back at Leopold. 

Leopold just shrugged with a small smile on his face at Kenny’s look of fake sadness. Leopold walked in the room and put his stuff on the empty side of the room. However, he didn’t have much time before he heard screaming in the hallway. Leopold and Kenny made eye contact before rushing in the direction of the sound. 

Standing in the hallway was Stan and Kyle, both screaming at each other. Leopold looked to Kenny for what they should do, but he just stood back and watched with amusement. The two were beginning to draw a crowd. 

“Come on Kyle, please just listen,” Stan pleaded. 

“No! You asshole! You were not supposed to come back!” Kyle screamed. 

“Well, you made it rather difficult by ignoring me!” Stan yelled back. 

Kyle, who was only an inch or so taller than Leopold, walked up to Stan and pushed his shoulders. 

“You mother fucking bastard!” Kyle yelled. 

It was evident on Stan’s face that he was getting more and more angry. 

“Okay, this is getting bad. Butters, stop Kyle, I’ll take care of Stan,” Kenny said. 

Butters gave Kenny a look of pure horror. He was not going to get in the middle of a lover’s quarrel. 

“Please?” Kenny replied. 

Leopold squinted his eyes. 

“Yes, I know, I will owe you big,” Kenny said before rushing into the action. 

Leopold followed, concentrating on Kyle. However, he did a bad job of concentrating on what Kyle’s fist was doing. Just as Leopold was managed to get to Kyle and was going to try to put his hands on his chest to calm him down, he felt a pain across his face. Butters was knocked sideways and hit the ground hard. The air was knocked out of him, and he gasped on the floor. Leopold felt something warm slide down his face, and when he touched it, his hand came back red. 

“Jesus fuck Kyle!” Kenny yelled as he rushed to Leopold’s side. 

Kenny helped Leopold sit up and allowed the smaller man to lean on his side. 

Kenny grabbed Leopold’s face and looked him in the eyes. 

“Butters, can you see me clearly with no blurs?” Kenny asked. 

Leopold nodded. With the confirmation Kenny began to lightly wipe the blood from Leopold’s face. Leopold grabbed Kenny’s hands, which were now covered in blood, in order to stop him from getting too dirty. 

“It’s fine. I have to stop the bleeding,” Kenny stated. Leopold tilted his head and smiled, trying to tell Kenny that he was fine. 

“You’re not fine,” Kenny replied. 

“Here,” Stand said as he dropped a towel in Leopold’s lap. Kenny took it and began cleaning Leopold’s face with it. 

Kyle, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke up. “I’m sorry,” he said, almost shell shocked. 

Kenny turned sharply, keeping pressure on Leopold’s wound. 

“Sorry? You punched Butters so hard he’s bleeding. He could have a concussion. And all because you can’t shut up long enough to have an adult conversation with Stan. And I’m willing to bet money that all he’s gonna say is that he’s in love with you so take a goddamn chill pill,” Kenny yelled, effectively causing both men to turn bright red. 

Leopold put a hand on Kenny’s arm, calming him down. 

“No, Butters, it is not okay,” Kenny said, a little softer. 

Leopold slowly stood up, Kenny keeping him steady. He walked up to Kyle and put a hand on his shoulder. Leopold smiled and nodded, trying to get his message across. 

“I am really sorry,” Kyle replied. Leopold just gestured towards Stan. Kyle seemed to get the message. 

Kenny kept a firm hand on Leopold’s arm as they walked back to their room, even though Leopold was pretty sure he could walk on his own now. 

“God, Butters that looks really bad. I’m really sorry for making you jump into that situation like that,” Kenny said. 

Leopold could only shrug it off. 

“Come on, get changed and then I’ll clean that cut out properly,” Kenny said. 

Butter nodded and pulled out the clothes in the burlap sack. They were a soft blue with a white turtleneck to go underneath the short sleeved top. Leopold took off the bight orange uniform he was wearing and pulled on his new one, strangely not embarrassed with Kenny in the room. 

Kenny on the other hand was using every ounce of strength to not ogle Leopold. His body was really small and petite and just darn cute. Kenny could feel himself developing a crush, and was surprised he was even able to tell. He’d never had one before. But something about Leopold made him feel warm and fuzzy. He was precious and needed to be protected, something Kenny was doing an awful job at so far. Kenny was relieved to see that Leopold was done changing. 

“Come on, lets go to the bathroom,” Kenny said, holding out his hand. 

Leopold hesitantly took it and Kenny squeezed it tight. He walked like that with Leopold to the bathroom where he could clean the cut.   
Leopold had to admit, he looked bad. His right eyebrow was slit open and still bleeding a little. A bruise was forming on the side of his face and reached down and around his eye. 

Kenny got to work immediately, and Leopold flinched as Kenny started. Kenny looked at him apologetically, and moved with the utmost care. Leopold had never noticed how Kenny’s hands were scarred, and those scars reached up and under his sleeve. They were rough and calloused, but they still gently dabbed at Leopold’s cut. 

“Alright, all better,” Kenny stated. 

Leopold smiled in appreciation. 

“Okay, lets head back,” Kenny said, grabbing Leopold’s hand again. 

Leopold couldn’t place it. When Kenny grabbed his hand, he felt safe, despite having just been socked hard in the face. Kenny didn’t seem so bad, and he actually had gone as far to take care of Leopold. So, Leopold took a chance and decided to trust him. He could hear alarms ringing in his head when he decided this, and he knew he should have learned his lesson. Kenny was making it difficult. 

Upon arriving at their room, Kenny sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him. Leopold tentatively sat next to him. 

Kenny sighed at the sight of his face and said “I really am sorry about getting you involved with that. I owe you double now. Just let me know what you want,” Kenny said. 

Leopold just shrugged. He honestly just wanted to know more about Kenny, but he also didn’t want Kenny to feel uncomfortable. 

“Just let me know when you think of it. Anyways, how’s your first days?” Kenny asked. 

Leopold shrugged again. 

“The first week is the worst. Despite trying to be a sort of rehab facility, this place is just a slightly watered down version of prison. Even coming here from prison I still struggled. I came from being in mostly solitary to a place full of people with no privacy.” 

Leopold scooted closer, trying to show Kenny that he was there for him. Kenny smiled and wrapped an arm around Leopold’s shoulder. 

“Well, long story short I realized everyone was after my ass, literally, and so I used it to my advantage to get whatever I wanted. But, those days are long behind me, pun intended.” 

Leopold smiled at the silly joke in such a serious conversation. Kenny smiled at Leopold’s reaction. 

“I found myself to be much happier when I wasn’t banging my way through the facility,” he stated. 

Leopold gently patted Kenny’s knee, trying to show that he understood, he got it, in his own twisted way. 

“But enough about me. Just know that you don’t have to do that. Now I have a family here, my friends, and we help each other out. You’re part of that too now, ya know.” 

Leopold looked up and couldn’t help but smile. He had never really been a part of a family. Sure he had parents, but nothing that resembled an actual family that supported and helped one another. 

Kenny couldn’t help but blush at the smile Leopold gave him. It was too much, too cute. Although, it made Kenny sad to see that he probably reacted like this because no one had treated him like that before. It almost made him angry, but instead he just pulled Leopold closer. 

Leopold gently let his head fall onto Kenny’s shoulder. He was exhausted from the day’s excitement and he could feel himself drifting off. 

…

Leopold awoke with a start, his breathe quick and cold sweat rolling down his temples. He had somehow managed to be laying on top of Kenny, and he quickly scrambled off. He sat on his own bed and pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his head in his knees. The nightmares still got to him. 

“What’sthebigidea,” Kenny mumbled as he sat up and rubbed sleep out of his eyes. 

He looked around and saw Leopold. 

“Butters!” He exclaimed as he rushed over the the small man. 

“Shh, it’s okay,” Kenny said as he sat next to Leopold and rubbed circles in his back. Eventually, Leopold raised his head to look at Kenny, who gave him a soft smile in return. Leopold felt his cheeks heat up. 

Leopold was pretty confused. Why did Kenny help him? Why was he so nice? Leopold couldn’t pin point what he was feeling. After spending so long numbing out his mind, the torrent of emotions running through him was a little overwhelming. However, the more time Leopold spent with Kenny, the more comfortable he felt with his new found emotions. He didn’t even hear the usual alarm bells that rang in his head when he got comfortable. Just a soft, light buzzing.


	3. Realization

Darkness. That’s all Leopold saw at first. Then slowly an image formed in front of him. Two figures screaming at each other. 

“He’s a freak!” 

Leopold felt dizzy and the image whipped to a new one. He was chained to a wall, the smell of human filth around him. 

Then he was in a straight jacket. He tried to scream, but nothing came out. Utter silence. 

And then bam, he hit the floor. Leopold sat up and blinked his eyes. The clock read five a.m. It was just another dream. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Butters? Why are you up?” Kenny asked groggily, peering over the end of the bed. “Why are you on the floor?” 

Leopold could only shrug. 

“Bad dream? Are you okay?” 

Leopold smiled softly and nodded. He pointed towards the door, and Kenny, obviously, understood the Leopold was going to take a shower. He waved his hand, fell back on the bed limply and said, “stay safe.” 

Leopold showered as quick as he could. His cut stung under the water and he couldn’t shake the sight of Kenny with bed head looking at him with half lidded eyes. Leopold really didn’t know what was wrong with him but he figured occupying his mind would help. 

As Leopold was attempting to scramble out of the bathroom, he ran smack into something. Upon looking up, he realized it was someone not something. Leopold’s eyes went wide as he came face to face with Kyle. Instinctually he covered his face and tried to push past the boy. 

“Ah, wait, um, Butters?” Kyle asked, grabbing Leopold’s arm. 

Leopold turned. 

“Look, I’m really sorry about hitting you in the face yesterday. I got you some ointment and first aid and stuff,” Kyle said, handing Leopold a small plastic bag with bandaids and a small tube in it. 

“Oh and, I also wanted to say thank you. Stan and I, yeah we’re all good now. Better really. But if you and Kenny hadn’t stepped in it probably wouldn’t be,” Kyle finished with a small blush. 

Leopold grinned at Kyle. It was the first time anyone had thanked him for anything ever. Even if the kid did sock him in the face, Leopold didn’t feel like he was a bad dude. 

Leopold walked back to his room, feeling strangely satisfied with himself after his encounter with Kyle. It only grew when he caught Stan walking down the hall with a goofy grin on his face. Leopold burst into his room and walked over to Kenny’s bed. 

“Well, you’re awful excited this morning,” Kenny said, rubbing his eyes as he looked up at Leopold, who was trying to figure out how to explain the situation to Kenny. He began by holding up his index fingers and touching them together, although somehow he didn’t think that was very clear. Kenny grabbed Leopold’s hands and pushed them down.   
“Those two dummies made up didn’t they?” Kenny asked. 

Leopold nodded quickly, more excited that Kenny understood him rather than being excited for Kyle and Stan like he was before. 

“What’s this?” Kenny asked as he pulled the bag Kyle had given him out of Leopold’s hands. 

Leopold punched the air and then pointed to his cut. 

“Got it. Well, come here,” Kenny said, pulling out the tube. He sat Leopold down on his bed and gently pulled his head so he could see the cut. Leopold could feel himself turning red as Kenny leaned in and examined the injury. 

“Man, this bruise is really bad Butters,” Kenny states as he squeezed out ointment onto his fingers. He gently applied it to Leopold’s cut with light touches. Leopold resisted the urge to flinch, not wanting to make Kenny feel bad. He was already doing so much by taking care of this injury. 

Kenny was trying desperately to keep himself from hurting Leopold, all the while unable to think about anything but how cute the man was. After applying the ointment, Kenny took a band aid and placed it over the cut. He let his hands fall down the side of Leopold’s face, running his thumb over the dark bruise that wrapped under his eye. 

“I really am sorry for involving you in that,” Kenny whispered. 

Leopold smiled up at the man, and tentatively reached his hand out to Kenny’s cheek. Kenny’s eyes went wide and Leopold felt proud of himself for causing that reaction. 

“Hey, fags, we’re going to breakfast,” Craig said as he slammed the door to the room open, effectively causing Leopold to jump and scramble to the other side of the bed. He could feel his cheeks turn a deep shade of red. 

“Goddamit Craig! You’re a fucking fag too!” Kenny said jumping up. 

“He has a point,” Tweek said as he popped out from behind Craig. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up. I can’t handle Stan and Kyle,” Craig replied. 

“Again, you’re not any better!” Kenny yelled after Craig, mockingly shaking his fist at his retreating back. Tweek just shrugged as an apology. 

“Kids these days,” Kenny sighed as he turned back to Leopold. “Shall we go?” 

Leopold nodded and stood up, following Kenny to the dining hall. He followed Kenny through the line and to their usual table, all the while trying to figure out why Kenny made him feel, well, better. Leopold had never felt this good in his entire lifetime and while he never prayed, didn’t even believe in a god of any sort, he looked up to the sky and asked that this would not go away. For the first time in a while, he had hope. 

“Oh my gawd, that is just so not cool,” a very heavily accented voice pierced through the hall. 

Leopold noticed Kenny tense up, his hands forming fists around his utensils. The entire table went silent. Leopold went to look at Kenny, to question what was going on, and then he felt someone plop down beside him. Kenny got tenser.   
Leopold turned to see a behemoth of a person sitting next to him. Leopold wasn’t even sure this man had a neck, just rolls of fat. Leopold was frozen, he couldn’t even scoot away from this man. 

“Fatass, what are you doing here?” Stan asked, eyes narrowing at the man. 

“Wow, Stan, I haven’t seen you in ages and this is how you greet your best friend?” The man replied. 

“Cartman, get out of here,” Kyle followed up. 

“I do not take orders from a dirty jew.” 

At this point, Leopold was a little angry. He turned to Kenny, looking for what they should do. Kenny was fuming, and Leopold sensed that this could get bad. 

“And, who’s this midget?” Cartman asked, eating Leopold’s food by the shovelful. 

“Dude what the fuck, you’re eating Butters’ food!” Stan yelled. 

“He wasn’t eating it,” Cartman replied, licking his fingers. 

“Fatass, leave now. You are not welcome here. Leave us all alone,” Kenny said, teeth clenched as he tried to remain calm. 

“Whatever. You guys are like, totally uncool and boring. This is what happens when you hang out with a bunch of faggots,” Cartmam said, lumbering up from his seat with great difficulty. Craig flipped Cartman the bird as he held Tweek tightly. Tweek looked like he was ready to have a panic attack if it weren’t for Craig’s support. 

Leopold looked up to Kenny, who still hadn’t calmed down. He scooted towards him and gently placed his hand on his knee. Kenny released his utensils and looked down at Leopold. 

“Don’t go anywhere near him. He’s bad news and will try to fuck you over,” Kenny said. It was the most serious Leopold had ever seen him. Leopold nodded in response, not too enthralled with the large man. He had openly attacked everyone who had ever been nice to him. 

…

“Yo Kenny, what’s up?” Stan asked, looking at his friend with concern as they sat in a corner of the dining hall. No one was around at the time because it was in between lunch and dinner. 

“Dude, how did you know you loved Kyle?” Kenny asked. 

“What?” 

Stan was bright red. 

“Come on dude. Just answer.” 

“I don’t know man. I guess when all I could think about was him. Like, I didn’t think he was just cute or something, I like wanted him to be happy and he made me happy.” 

Kenny just groaned and put his head in his hands.   
“Dude, why do you care anyways?” Stan asked. 

Kenny just looked at him through his fingers. 

“Bro, no way!” Stand said, putting the pieces together. 

Kenny closed his fingers and hid his face fully again. 

Stan leaned in and whisper yelled, “You have a crush on Butters!” 

Kenny dropped his head to the table. 

“Dude that’s really fucking cute,” Stan said, sitting back. 

“But what do I do?” Kenny asked, head buried in his arms. 

“Uh, tell him?” Stan asked more than said. 

“Not that simple. He’s been through shit. I can’t just spring that on him,” Kenny replied. 

“Well then you’re fucked, but at least you have good, ole reliable Stan to complain to.” 

“That makes me feel worse.” 

“Uh, rude.” 

Kenny just smiled at his friend as they continued to joke, but he couldn’t help but think about what Stan had told him. 

…

Leopold sat across from Kyle in the library. He rubbed his fists together nervously as Kyle looked at him patiently. 

“Take your time, no judgment from me bro,” Kyle said, gently patting Leopold’s shoulder. Leopold smiled appreciatively as he pondered how to try and explain this to Kyle. Hell, he didn’t know if he even wanted to explain this to Kyle, but something about the boy calmed him. 

He finally decided to try and show Kyle what he was feeling. He started by drawing a K with his finger on the table. 

“Yes I am Kyle,” Kyle replied confused. 

Leopold shook his head furiously. Kyle tilted his head in thought for a little before he said, “Oh, Kenny! You want to talk about Kenny?” 

Leopold nodded, mildly relieved. 

“What about him?” Kyle asked. 

Leopold rubbed his fists together again, trying his best to figure out how to get his message across. Turning red, he put his hands together to form a heart shape. Kyle’s eyes got big as he smiled broadly. 

“You like Kenny?” He whispered, aware of possible prying ears. 

Leopold shrugged. 

“Not sure?” 

Leopold sheepishly nodded. Kyle smiled softly. 

“Well, how do you feel around him?” 

Leopold’s face contorted several times as he thought about how warm Kenny made him feel. He felt safe and protected. His heart would flutter and his stomach twist. Not to mention, it was the first time Leopold had ever felt something like this. It was new and scary, and yet he felt okay as long as it was Kenny.

While Kyle may not have been able to read Leopold like Kenny could, he could tell when someone was in love. 

“Judging by your reaction, I would say you do. But, you’re the only one who feels what you feel. So ultimately it’s up to you,” Kyle said. 

Leopold sighed. He knew this, but it did feel good to get it off his chest. He felt a little lighter, and Kyle stayed true to his word and didn’t judge. 

“You are so screwed though, lover boy,” Kyle teased. Leopold sighed again. This he was also very much aware of.


	4. Stuck

Leopold stared at Mr. Mackey, and then over to the stand up punching bag that was threatening to tip over. Mr. Mackey looked at Leopold expectantly. 

 

“Now, Leopold, working out your feelings with a physical release can be quite a healthy coping mechanism mmmkay. So, I have arranged for our first sessions to be focused on physical activity. Today, we will box mmmkay.” The man said. 

 

Mr. Mackey gestured to the punching bag. Leopold sighed and stood up. He gave a weak punch at the bag, making it rock slightly, and looked back at Mr. Mackey with an eyebrow cocked. 

 

“Now come on Leopold. If you don’t put in any effort I will be forced to give you a bad report mmkay,” Mr. Mackey said. 

 

Leopold waited to roll his eyes until he had turned back to the punching bag. He didn’t even have any tape for his knuckles, and it appeared Mr. Mackey didn’t seem to think he needed it. Sighing again, Leopold decided he would just kick the punching bag to avoid bloodied knuckles. 

 

Leopold started with a round house kick. The punching bag rocked violently, and Leopold realized he could essentially get away with hitting Mr. Mackey. Moving clumsily, Leopold positioned himself so Mr. Mackey was directly behind the punching bag. Leopold gave it a few test kicks to make it look like this was going to be an accident. He then lifted a leg and kicked the punching bag with the heel of his foot, using all of his strength. He wasn’t very strong and he almost sent himself toppling with that kick, but the punching bag went flying backwards. It hit Mr. Mackey square in face, causing him to tip backwards in his chair. 

 

“Wow, okay Leopold, I’m glad you have taken such a liking to boxing. I will take this into account when planning our next session mmkay. But, I think that is enough for today mmmkay,” Mr. Mackey said as he placed the punching bag next to him. 

 

Leopold tried not to look too annoyed as he nodded his head. This man was really, seriously, stupid. 

 

As Leopold exited Mr. Mackey’s office, he found Kenny leaning against the wall. Leopold perked up immediately. 

 

“Hey, buttercup! Whatcha so sweaty for?” Kenny asked. 

 

Leopold could feel his face turning bright red from the nickname. He punched the air and pointed back at Mr. Mackey’s office as his response. 

 

“No way really? He’s having you box for therapy? That actually may come in handy,” Kenny mused. 

 

Leopold nodded. He didn’t actually dislike boxing. Mr. Mackey was right in saying that it was therapeutic, especially when Leopold was able to hurl a punching bag into the man. However, he was a little bit ashamed about how sweaty he was from such a short session. He was even a little out of breath. 

 

“I wonder if he’d let me join you. They don’t have any good places to work out around here,” Kenny stated. It wasn’t that Kenny really cared about working out that much, he just couldn’t shake the idea of Leopold wrecking someone’s ass in boxing. 

 

Leopold smiled up at Kenny. Not only would having a friend help him tolerate Mr. Mackey better, he couldn’t say no to spending more time with the man (despite sharing a room with him). It suddenly struck Leopold that he didn’t know much about Kenny. He only knew that he had a rough time in prison, but not anything important, like what he likes and what his hobbies are. Leopold found that the more time he spent with Kenny, the more he wanted to know about the man. 

 

…

 

“Goddammit I am so bored,” Kenny moaned, throwing himself dramatically on the bed. 

 

_Well, we are technically in prison,_ Leopold thought. 

 

“Stop, I know what you’re thinking, I don’t want to hear, well _see,_ it,” Kenny replied holding up his hand. 

 

Leopold shrugged. He glanced up at the clock that read nine-thirty p.m. Leopold pressed his hands together and held them against his ear. 

 

“Dude, it’s way to early to go to sleep,” Kenny replied. 

 

Leopold shrugged again. Suddenly, Kenny gasped and scrambled off his bed. Leopold looked at the man confused. 

 

“Stay there,” Kenny said as he dug through his stuff. 

 

Leopold did as he was told. Kenny reemerged and sat down on his bed, squinting his eyes at Leopold. Kenny held a book and a pencil, and he propped his knees up in order to rest the book on it. Jokingly, Kenny used his thumb and forefinger to form a box as he closed one eye and pretended to look through it at Leopold. Leopold blushed and pulled his knees to his chest. 

 

“Perfect! Stay right there,” Kenny exclaimed. 

 

Leopold stilled as Kenny turned to the book in his lap. He began making quick, short strokes in it with his pencil. Leopold turned even more red when he figured out what was going on. Kenny was sketching him. Leopold had to admit though, he was a little excited to see the end result. He had never been drawn before. No one had ever paid enough attention to him to draw him, but here Kenny was, scrunching his face up as he looked up from the book. Before Leopold could process what he was thinking, the word cute popped into his mind. Leopold sighed internally at himself. _I am so screwed,_ Leopold thought. 

 

The time Leopold spent waiting fro Kenny to finish was mildly excruciating. He was getting impatient waiting for the drawing, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep out thoughts of Kenny. Sure, the guy protected him and became one of his very first friends in his lifetime, but that didn’t mean he was into Leopold. 

 

“All done! I am sorry, it’s probably not that great and won’t do you justice,” Kenny said sheepishly as he handed the book to Leopold. 

 

Leopold was stunned. It was beautiful. He was sure that he did not look like this. This person Kenny had drawn was more beautiful than he could ever be. Leopold looked up to Kenny with big eyes. 

“You like it?” Kenny asked nervously. 

 

Leopold nodded excitedly, trying to show him that he thought it was beautiful. 

 

“Oh come on, it’s not that good.”

 

Leopold softly punched Kenny in the shoulder. Kenny smiled down softly at Leopold. Leopold was sure that his ears had turned red at this point. Especially since the word beautiful came to his mind this time. 

 

“You can keep it,” Kenny said. 

 

Leopold looked up with wide eyes and a smile as Kenny ripped out the drawing. Kenny was sure that this guy was going to be the end of him someday. Leopold walked over to the desk in the back of the room and ripped himself a piece of state distributed tape. He gingerly took the drawing from Kenny before hanging it up on the wall. 

 

“You don’t have to do that,” Kenny said. 

 

Leopold lightly punched him again as he stepped back and looked at it. Leopold looked up at Kenny and smiled. Kenny laughed and said, “well, you’re welcome then.” 

 

Leopold smiled. In a rare moment of bravery, he scooted closer to Kenny, lightly leaning against the taller man. Kenny froze before softening into the touch. He really couldn’t handle this man. He was too, well, precious. 

 

…

 

“Dude, they are so gay,” Stan whispered as he crouched outside the door to Kenny and Leopold’s room. 

 

“That’s what I was saying this entire time,” Kyle replied. 

 

“They’re never going to figure it out on their own,” Stand replied. “Kenny refuses to tell Butters.”

 

“Butters, well, Butters doesn’t talk so no good there.” 

 

“It is our duty, as friends, to make sure that they get together.” 

 

“Stan, whatever you are thinking, we are not going to do it.” 

 

“Dude, we have to help them.” 

 

“I didn’t say we wouldn’t help them.” 

 

Kyle smiled deviously as he dragged his boyfriend away from the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I just wanted to thank everyone who has left comments so far. I'm not that great at responding to them but I just want to let you all know that I really do appreciate them!


	5. A Mean Right Hook

It had been two weeks since Kenny had arrived, and frankly, he was finding that it wasn’t so bad. It was certainly a massive step up from where he had been. In the short time he had managed to fall into a routine. Usually it started with an early wake up, either from his internal clock or from a nightmare, and a lighting fast shower. He would then spend the time before breakfast pretending not to look at Kenny sleeping and then failing miserably. Leopold was currently at this point in his routine. He knew that Kenny would eventually stir and then they would go to breakfast together. 

 

But until then Leopold would sit in his bed with a book that he was not reading but using as way to pretend he wasn’t totally stalking Kenny. He did feel guilty about it. He was sure that Kenny didn’t want some creep gawking at him when he couldn’t even stop it. Leopold knew how that felt and he didn’t want to put Kenny in the same situation. Although Leopold did have some self restraint and would never even get close to the boy while he was asleep, it was hard to keep himself from looking. Kenny’s shaggy blonde hair always stuck up crazily around the pillow and hung across his closed eyes. His thin lips were always slightly parted when he slept, which to Leopold was just fucking _cute,_ and the soft light from the tiny window made Kenny’s tan skin practically glow. Seriously, it should be illegal to be that beautiful. And so here Leopold was, trying desperately to stop being so _goddamn creepy_ but still hopelessly mesmerized by the boy in front of him. 

 

Honestly, he’d had worse problems in his lifetime but they never involved his emotions. It was new and weird and downright terrifying. What Leopold just couldn’t understand was that he actually _enjoyed_ the warm feeling that bubbled up inside him when he looked at Kenny or whenKenny smiled at him or just when Kenny was being Kenny. Leopold was so fucked, and he knew it. 

 

It was about at this point in Leopold’s morning thought process that Kenny would stir and Leopold would quickly shove his face into the book to hide his growing blush; and that’s exactly what Leopold did this morning when Kenny groaned and pushed his arms above his head. 

 

“Mornin’ Buttercup,” Kenny mumbled groggily. 

 

Leopold sheepishly smiled over his book, trying not to give away too much of his blush. 

 

Next in the routine was breakfast, which Kenny and Leopold ate with the “gang.” Usually Kyle and Stan and Craig and Tweek were pretty self-involved; which was fine by Leopold because it meant that Kenny would give Leopold all of his attention. Sometimes they would have a conversation that everyone was involved with, like when they “debated” over who was worse: Cartman or Satan. Cartman won by a long shot. Kyle and Stan had started looking over at Leopold and Kenny with discerning eyes every once and a while. Leopold felt like he was being dissected. Then the two would turn to each other and talk in a hushed tone. After that they would giggle and do something grossly adorable. Leopold thought the behavior was weird, but he didn’t feel like it was bad. Maybe that’s just how those two are. 

 

The group eventually got up from the table and went to continue their day. Next for Leopold was his boxing session with Mr. Mackey. The man had surprisingly been able to install a real punching bag in the sorry excuse for a gym. Leopold would sometimes go there even when he didn’t have a boxing session. Mr. Mackey even got Leopold some tape for his knuckles. While Leopold had to admit, the boxing was working as an outlet, he had no intention of talking to Mr. Mackey, which is what the man really wanted. 

 

However, for this boxing session Leopold didn’t want to go by himself. As they exited the cafeteria, Leopold pulled lightly on Kenny’s arm. Kenny turned and looked down softly at Leopold. 

 

“What’s up?” Kenny asked, lightly grabbing Leopold’s hand. 

 

Leopold punched the air with his free hand and then pointed at Kenny. 

 

“You want me to box with you?” Kenny asked surprised. 

 

Leopold smiled excitedly and nodded quickly. 

 

“Well, yeah, sure.” Kenny said, seemingly at a loss for words. 

 

Kenny felt dazed. He knew that boxing for Leopold was his time. He didn’t want to infringe on that, but he also couldn’t shake how happy he was that Leopold wanted to include him in that. Kenny was trying desperately and failing miserably at trying to keep a grin off his face. 

 

…

 

Kenny was breathing heavily and he rested his hands on his knees. Leopold was still punching the bag ferociously. How the hell was he still going? Although Kenny had to admit, the view was nice. Leopold had changed into a tank top and gym shorts that left almost nothing to the imagination. Kenny was amazed that Leopold was actually pretty muscular. It was all lean muscle, of course, but Kenny had no doubt that Leopold could take him in a fight. Hell, Kenny was currently watching those said muscles _ripple._ Goddamn. Not to mention that the way Leopold’s hair stuck to his forehead as sweat dripped down his face was just so _attractive._ Add Leopold’s face of pure concentration that made his nose slightly scrunch up, and you could consider Kenny McCormick officially fucked. 

 

“You’re a monster,” Kenny said between gasps. 

 

Leopold’s face twisted up in confusion. 

 

“It was a compliment,” Kenny clarified. 

 

Leopold nodded and smiled slightly. 

 

“Alright Leopold, I believe that involving Kenny in this has been helpful for your progress mmkay. I will make sure to note this in my report mmmkay,” Mr. Mackey said from a safe distance across the gym. 

 

Leopold looked at Kenny with a dead stare and cocked his eyebrow. Kenny had to keep himself from bursting out into laughter. Then Leopold looked at Kenny with a glint in his eye. 

 

“Dude, you’re going to kick my ass,” Kenny replied, still panting. 

 

Leopold stuck out his bottom lip and creased his eyebrows together, forming the lethal puppy dog face. 

 

“Goddamit. Fine, but please do not kill me.” 

 

Leopold nodded and his eyes lit up. Kenny’s breath caught in his breath. He would happily get his ass kicked by Leopold if it meant he could cause that look in his eyes. 

 

Leopold walked over to a very thin mat that was laid down in the space space. Kenny eyed it suspiciously, knowing that chances were that he was gonna end up hitting it hard. Leopold got into his boxing stance and bounced his toes. Kenny sighed as he did the same, bracing for the impending loss he was going to experience. 

 

A few punches and a mean right hook later, Kenny was flat on his back and staring up at the ceiling. Man did his head hurt. Soon he saw Leopold over top of him, eyes filled with worry. Kenny could vaguely hear Mr. Mackey in the background, but all Kenny could hear was blood rushing in his ears. Leopold was so close. If Kenny just leaned up he could… 

 

But Kenny knew better. He couldn’t do that. Instead he lifted his hand and pushed blond locks away from Leopold’s face. 

 

“I’m fine, really. Please don’t worry about it. I knew I was getting into this when I agreed,” Kenny said. 

 

Kenny sat up, and winced when his head throbbed. Leopold leaned in front of Kenny again, looking him in the eyes. 

 

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. Plus, I’ve gotten you into much worse,” Kenny stated, reaching up to gently caress the healing black eye that Leopold had gotten from Kyle. 

 

Leopold’s eyes softened and his lips twisted into a small smirk. He helped Kenny up and walked him back to their room. He laid Kenny down in his bed and patted his arm. 

 

“Hurry back,” Kenny replied. 

 

Leopold hurried out of the room with a wash cloth. He dowsed it in the coldest water he could get before wringing it out and bringing it back to Kenny. Leopold put it on his forehead, and Kenny hummed at the coolness. Leopold looked down at Kenny softly. He really did feel bad about knocking him out. 

 

“Seriously, stop looking so guilty. I’m fine, really,” Kenny said, patting Leopold’s arm lightly. 

 

Leopold sighed. _At least let me get you lunch,_ Leopold thought, trying to portray the thought across his face so Kenny could understand. 

 

“You know that’s against the rules. You could get into a lot of trouble,” Kenny replied. 

 

Leopold’s eyes narrowed at Kenny, taking on the challenge. 

 

“But if you insist, I guess I can’t say no.”

 

Kenny punctuated the sentence with a wink. Leopold blushed deeply before hurrying out of the room. He knew they were going to leave the guys hanging for lunch that day, but he was sure they would understand. 

 

Leopold kept his head down as he quickly walked to the dining hall. He was almost there before someone pushed him, forcing him to hit the wall hard. Leopold looked up to find Cartman sneering at him. Man, the guy was fat. 

Cartman stalked towards Leopold, getting uncomfortably close and forcing Leopold to stand with his back pressed to the wall. Cartoon looked Leopold up and down. 

 

“So, newbie, seems Kenny has taken a liking to you,” Cartman said, trying to sound nonchalant. 

 

Leopold’s eyes narrowed. He knew this was going no where good. 

 

“You know, you really shouldn’t hang around that poor piece of white trash,” Cartman continued. 

 

Leopold could feel anger boiling up. Leopold was fine with someone shitting on himself, god knows he’s used to it, but insult the only best friend he’s ever had? Don’t even dare. 

 

“Hey, fat ass! Get away form Butters!” Leopold heard a voice, and upon craning his neck around Cartman he was relieved to find Stan and Kyle. 

 

“Gawd Kyle! Can you go be a dirty, faggy Jew somewhere else?” Cartman spat over his shoulder, not turning away from Leopold. 

 

Leopold was getting angrier by the second. 

 

“Cartman, stop being such an asshole and leave Butters alone,” Stan said. 

 

“Oh? Come to save your faggy little boyfriend you little fag?” Cartman replied tauntingly. 

 

Seriously, this guy needed to pick a pick a different derogatory term to used. Leopold was almost shaking with anger. 

 

“Holy fuck. Get away from him you fat ass!” Leopold heard. It was Kenny. He wouldn’t miss that voice anywhere. 

 

“Oh really? What are you gonna do, huh? Fuck me to death you slut. Gawd, I’m just surrounded by fags.” 

 

That was it. Leopold was furious and before he could think, he acted. Specifically, he nailed Cartman with a right hook right across the jaw, sending the massive man stumbling backwards on his ass. 

 

Everything around Leopold went silent, and for a second Leopold almost stopped. But one look at that sneering face had Leopold sending an other punch straight into Cartman’s nose. He raised his hand to land another one before someone caught him. He looked back and saw Kenny. 

 

“Hey, it’s fine, really. He’s just going to get you into trouble okay? It’s not worth it,” Kenny cooed as he gently pried Leopold up to his feet. 

 

Stan and Kyle sat on Cartman to keep him from moving. 

 

“We’ll take care of this,” Stan said, flashing Kenny a thumbs up. 

 

Leopold suddenly felt the urge to cry. But, it wasn’t out of sadness. It was out of anger. Leopold was pissed. Kenny pulled Leopold to his chest, wrapping his arms around him. He gently ran his fingers through Leopold’s fine hair. 

 

“Yes, I know that he deserves every punch you would have thrown at him, but he’ll just find a way to make it your fault,” Kenny said as he unwrapped one arm and gently guided Leopold to their room. 

 

Leopold was shaking. Kenny sat him down on his bed. Leopold looked at Kenny with tears running down his face as he pushed harshly on his chest. 

 

“I know, and honestly I really wanted to see you kick his ass. But you can’t risk getting into trouble okay?” Kenny said, grabbing Leopold’s hands and pulling him back into a hug. 

 

“I know what he said was awful and uncalled for, but he wants you to get angry and pissed off. It’s best to just ignore him.” 

 

Leopold nodded. He hugged Kenny tighter and buried his head into Kenny’s neck. Kenny placed his chin on top of Leopold’s head as he rubbed soft circles into his back. 

 

  
“I will say it was really amazing to see you knock Cartman out worse than me though. It was amazing. No one expected it, especially not the fat ass. You were amazing,” Kenny said softly. 

 

Leopold smiled brightly. His fingers traveled up to Kenny’s neck and he idly played with the hair there. Leopold leaned back and put his hands on either side of Kenny’s face. A tear rolled down Leopold’s cheek and Kenny gently wiped it away with his thumb. 

 

_Thank you,_ Leopold thought as his fingers trailed down Kenny’s cheeks. 

 

“You’re welcome,” Kenny said as he smiled. 

 

Leopold blushed as he dropped his hands. He could feel his heart beating faster and honestly, this is the best he’s ever felt post cry. Suddenly, Leopold was hit with the usual post cry exhaustion, and let out a yawn. 

 

“Nap time?” Kenny asked, and Leopold nodded. 

 

Before Leopold could react, Kenny had pulled him down on top of himself. Leopold blushed more, but just moved himself so he was comfortably on top of Kenny. He could hear his heart beat, and it lulled Leopold to the most restful sleep he’s ever had. 

 

…

 

“Kyle, we have to get them to kiss. That’s the only way,” Stan whispered as he and Kyle peered in on the sleeping men. 

 

“I think it’s time to implement our plan,” Kyle replied with a glint in his eyes. 

 

“Wow.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“You’re just really hot when you’re plotting something. Is that inappropriate to say?” 

 

“Highly.” 

“Well, I don’t see you complaining.” 

 

Kyle just rolled his eyes and pushed Stan away from the door before they woke up Kenny and Leopold. 


	6. Seven Minutes

“Dude, how the hell do you think we are going to play seven minutes of heaven in this fucking place,” Stan asked. 

“Easy. We use the library. No one ever goes in there and I picked the lock to the closet a long time ago,” Kyle replied. 

“Okay genius, then how do we get the two of them in the closet together?” 

“Easy, we rig it.” 

“With a bottle?” 

“God no, I’m not stupid. We say that we couldn’t get out hands on a bottle, it was confiscated or something, so we put names in a bag. Only, for the first round we make Kenny go first and all the pieces of paper only have Butters on them. Then we lock them in the closet and hope for the best. Before their turn is over we switch out the names so we can continue the game to keep it from being suspicious.” 

“Hope for the best? Really?” 

“I’d like to see you come up with something better! I don’t exactly have an abundance of resources here either.” 

“Well you have a point.” 

“I always do.” 

Kyle smiled as he leaned against Stan in their cramped room. 

“Besides, we have to at least try. I owe Butters that much for socking him in the face,” Kyle stated. 

“Yeah, you do,” Stan relied with a cheeky grin. 

…

“Fuck this shit,” Craig said dead panned as he stared at Stan and Kyle who sat across from him and Tweek in the library. 

“What Craig is really saying is that he would love to help because while he may act like and asshole, he really cares about his friends,” Tweek said, wrapping his hands around Craig’s arms. 

Craig opened his mouth as if he was about to protest, but Tweek planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Craig immediately closed his mouth as he blushed. Kyle and Stan gave them shit eating grins, which Tweek shakily returned and Craig just flipped the bird. 

…

Leopold woke with a start and as usual looked up at the clock. It was almost time for dinner. He looked around the room disoriented until he looked down to see Kenny laying below him sleeping soundly. Leopold stilled. He was stuck between pretending he never woke up and laying back down on the extremely comfortable man below him, or getting up and pretending it never happened. Before Leopold could register what was happening, he met blue eyes and a soft smile. 

“Hey Buttercup,” Kenny murmured, reaching up and pushing a lock of Leopold’s hair away from his face. 

Leopold’s face was on fire and he felt his heart swell up. At a loss for what he should do, Leopold ended up just pointing at the clock. Kenny turned to look at the clock and said, “oh shit! It’s late. Ready for dinner?” 

Leopold nodded as he somewhat reluctantly climbed off of Kenny, allowing the other man to sit up. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he yawned. 

“Come on cutie, lets go get some grub,” Kenny said as he stood up and walked towards the door. 

Like usual Leopold followed him to the dining hall and through the line to get their food. They sat at the usual table where Kyle, Stan, Craig and Tweek were already sitting. Kyle, Stan and Tweek were smiling mischievously while Craig, well, still looked as deadpanned as usual. 

“What the fuck?” Kenny asked as he sat down, keeping Leopold close to him. 

“I feel like we haven’t really done anything fun as friend group in a really long time,” Kyle replied. 

“Well, so shit Sherlock. News flash, we’re in fucking prison,” Kenny spat. 

“Okay, reminder, we are a step up from prison. Secondly, the point is, is that I’ve planned a game night of sorts for us,” Kyle stated. 

Kenny looked at him suspiciously. 

“Well, the rest of us are down so it’s just the two of you left. Leopold, what do you say?” Stan cut in. 

Leopold nodded his head excitedly. He’s never had a gathering with friends before and the idea excited him. Kenny sighed. 

“Fine. But it better not be lame,” Kenny said. 

“Don’t worry. I planned it,” Kyle said proudly. 

“That just makes it sound more lame,” Kenny replied with a teasing smile. 

“Just show up to the library around seven,” Kyle shot back. 

…

“You’re kidding me right?” Kenny said. 

“Dude, come on even Craig is excited,” Stan said. 

Craig raised his hands and said, “Woo!” in his typical monotonous voice. 

“I’m not convinced,” Kenny replied. 

“Well, Kenny, you see the truth is that I really want to play the game. I’ve never played and always wanted to so Craig asked Stan and Kyle here to help plan it,” Tweek stated, twitching as he did so. Craig moved closer to Tweek and placed an arm around him. 

“Ah, well, Jesus, sorry Tweek. Then lets get the game started,” Kenny said. 

It took Craig all his strength not to kiss Tweek right then and there. He had to admit, the boy surprised even himself with that blatant lie that was perfectly executed. Tweek really was an excellent actor. 

“Well, since Kenny was being such an asshole, he gets to go first,” Kyle said as he held the bag out to the man. 

Kenny rolled his eyes as he reached in a pulled out a piece of paper. He opened it and read the name printed across it aloud. 

“Butters,” he mumbled. 

Leopold turned red. Seven minutes in a closet with Kenny. He was suddenly extremely nervous despite having been in more intimate situations with the man thus far. 

“Alright, you two, get in there,” Stan said as he pushed them both into the closet and slammed the door behind them. 

The closet was cramped and it forced Kenny and Leopold to be slightly pushed up against each other. 

“Are you okay?” Kenny whispered. 

Leopold nodded and tentatively placed his hands on Kenny’s chest. Kenny gently snaked his arms around Leopold’s waist. 

“Are you okay?” Kenny repeated, making extra sure that Leopold was comfortable. 

Leopold nodded and blushed. He thanked god it was too dark in the closet for Kenny to see him. Kenny leaned down and rested his forehead on Leopold’s. Leopold looked up at Kenny through his lashes. 

Kenny was trying his absolute hardest to control himself. It was hard as fucking balls. The way Leopold fit with his body just felt so right. Not to mention the cute way his puppy dog blue eyes peered up at Kenny. Kenny could feel himself losing his resolve. He could feel himself moving closer to Leopold slowly. 

Leopold could feel his heartbeat quicken, and when Kenny started moving closer he couldn’t silence the resounding yes that echoed through his head. He seriously should be worried about how okay he was with all of this, but he had bigger problems. Like how close Kenny’s lips were to his. 

In a moment of clarity, Kenny stopped. He couldn’t do this to Leopold. Kenny knew better than that. 

Then he felt lips on his, and Kenny almost pulled back in shock. However, he did have some tact and managed to lean into the kiss. He pulled Leopold closer to him before pulling back. 

“Wow,” he whispered. 

Leopold could only rest his head on Kenny’s shoulder to try and hide his blush. Leopold wrapped his arms around Kenny’s neck and held on tight. Kenny buried his face in Leopold’s hair. 

When Leopold pulled back and placed his hands on either side of Kenny’s face, Kenny didn’t hesitate. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Leopold’s, closing his eyes and feeling Leopold’s hands move to his hair. 

Leopold had never felt so light before. He had never been touched with such gentleness and care, and it made Leopold feel warm all the way through to his finger tips. If he was being honest, he could have kissed Kenny for the rest of his life. Kenny’s lips were truly as soft as they seemed and the feather light kisses sent shivers down his spine. 

Kenny pulled back and placed a light kiss to Leopold’s forehead. Leopold sighed contently. He couldn’t believe how weirdly happy he was. He had never really been happy about anything in his life and now some guy he just met managed to make him this happy. Leopold didn’t understand it. He was just happy it happened. 

…

“Do you think they’ve kissed yet?” Stan whispered. 

“I don’t know it’s hard to tell,” Kyle whispered back. 

“Well, I don’t care they only have two more minutes left before I drag their asses out,” Craig stated. 

“Damn Craig, do we need to rig it so you can draw Tweek?” Stan teased. 

Craig felt anger boiling up—mostly because that’s exactly what he wanted but would never say it aloud—but before he could respond, Tweek said “If you could that would be great.”


	7. Official

Kenny was dreaming. He had to be. There’s no way Leopold would be kissing _him_ right now. But Leopold’s fingers in Kenny’s hair reminded him that this was reality. This was happening. And he was extremely happy about it. 

 

Kenny pulled back and he was about to ask _So, we official now?_ But instead the door flew open, making the two squint their eyes at the sudden light. Leopold let go of Kenny immediately and turned away, his face bright red. 

 

“Fuck,” Kenny let out under his breath as he followed Leopold out of the closet. 

 

“Alright, Craig, you’re next,” Kyle said as he held out the bag to the man. 

 

Craig rolled his eyes as he pulled out a piece of paper. He opened it and read out, “Tweek.” Kenny couldn’t hide the shit eating grin that grew across his face. 

 

“Don’t have too much fun,” he teased, earning himself the middle finger from Craig as he and Tweek walked into the closet. 

 

They all sat at the table while the seven minutes passed. Kyle and Stan went on and on about something grossly boring and Leopold seemed to be listening to them. Kenny put on his best “pay attention” face while he thought about _what the fuck had just happened._ As almost to prove he didn’t hallucinate it, Kenny reached under the table and slowly laced his fingers together with Leopold’s. Leopold squeezed Kenny’s hand and smiled softly at him. Yep, not a dream. 

 

Suddenly Kenny had the urge to leave. He just wanted to be alone with Leopold again; not only so he could kiss the guy again but also so he can just _talk_ to him about what happened. Is this just a one time thing? Are they an item now? Kenny had never even bothered with relationships before, so he had no idea what the next step was. 

 

But alas they continued to play the game at least until everyone had picked once. Stan went next and drew Kyle (big surprise), then Tweek drew Stan, then Kyle drew Craig, and finally Leopold drew Kyle. Kenny internally cursed and shot Kyle daggers. Kyle gave him a look that said _chill dude._

 

Leopold was rather relieved he had drawn Kyle. He liked to think he and Kyle were slowly becoming friends, especially after Leopold told Kyle his secret. The two sat in the closet silent for a little. 

 

“So, you and Kenny a thing now?” Kyle asked, breaking the silence. 

 

Leopold buried his head in his hands. 

 

“You two did kiss right?” 

 

Leopold nodded. Kyle grinned. 

 

“I knew it. That’s good right?” 

 

Leopold nodded again. 

 

“So, then you two are a thing, right?” 

 

Leopold shrugged. 

 

“Ah, got it. You’re not sure. Well, I’ll let you in on a secret,” Kyle’s voice dropped until it was barely audible. “Kenny is head over heels for you. So don’t worry about it too much. He’s not gonna blow you off or drop you tomorrow. Honestly, you’re the first person I’ve seen Kenny care about this much.” 

 

Leopold went bright red. He didn’t think Kyle would blatantly lie to him, but he was also terrified at how happy Kyle’s statement had made him. Leopold had never really been liked in his entire lifetime, so the idea of someone caring about him even a little made him extremely happy. He felt like he wanted to cry, but he held it in. He still had to figure out what he and Kenny were now anyways. 

 

… 

 

Leopold sat on his bed, pretending to read his book. Kenny was laying down on his and staring at the ceiling. Leopold was getting impatient. Was Kenny just going to ignore what happened, ironically, in the closet? Leopold began tapping his leg. Maybe he should do something himself? Kyle’s words rang in his head, filling him with confidence he’s never had before. It couldn’t go that bad, could it? 

 

Leopold put down his book and made his body move before he could second guess himself. He walked over to Kenny’s bed and sat down beside him. 

 

“What’s up Buttercup?” Kenny asked. 

 

Leopold took a deep breath before he put his hand on either side of Kenny’s face. He leaned down and gently kissed Kenny. Leopold pulled back up after a second and looked Kenny dead in the eyes. Kenny’s hands tangled in Leopold’s hair as Kenny said, “Okay I get it. We need to talk.” 

 

Leopold nodded his head. 

 

“I, uh, god how do I say this?” Kenny spluttered. 

 

Leopold leaned back down and kissed him again. 

 

“Yeah, that, I want that, with you, like all the time.” 

 

Leopold smiled brightly and nodded. Kenny let out a relieved sigh and smiled back. 

 

“Ya don’t think I’m weird?”

 

Leopold cocked and eyebrow and gave Kenny a dead eyed stare. _Really,_ he thought. 

 

Kenny laughed and said, “well, I just had to make sure.” 

 

This time, when Leopold leant down, he was met halfway. 

 

…

 

“Goddammit!” Cartman screamed as he threw his chair across the room. 

 

“Jesus bro, chill out,” his roommate, Scott, replied. 

 

His roommate was a tall man with straight, brown hair. He hated Cartman, like most, but he was also the only one that could ignore Cartman and his temper tantrums. 

 

“There are too many fags here. We have to get rid of them,” Cartman screamed. 

 

“I don’t know who you mean by we, but I will not be involved,” his roommate stated. 

 

“I will get rid of them. Starting with that jackass Butters!”

 

Cartman’s fists clenched and his face turned red as he plotted his next move against the “Fag Gang.”


	8. Kenny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!!! there are mentions of abuse, violence and rape in this chapter.

Screaming. That’s what Kenny remembers most of his early childhood. He lived in a shit hole home on the outskirts of a shit hole town called South Park. When people used the term “dirt poor,” they were usually referring to Kenny and his family. His house barely qualified as a house. At certain parts the roof was missing and big, long cracks ran up through the walls and ceilings. They couldn’t afford heating so he and his siblings often slept in the same lumpy bed to keep each other warm. Not to mention the house was practically caked in dirt. Kenny was never clean, even after taking a frigid shower (because of course, they had no hot water either). 

 

His parents? Constantly fighting. His father never had a job in Kenny’s entire life. Hell, he probably still didn’t. His mother was no better. They both found solace in the bottom of a bottle and at the end of a joint. Their alcohol and drug abuse often lead to extreme bouts of domestic abuse—on each other and their children— which was followed by a drug induced coma for the rest of the night. The next day the same process repeated. Kenny remembered accidentally walking into one particular screaming match that ended in a black eye and a broken rib. 

 

So the McCormick siblings took care of each other. The moment Kevin, Kenny’s older brother, was old enough he went out and got himself a job working as a waiter at a local Chinese joint. They kept it from their parents, knowing that if they knew they would just use the money for more alcohol. Instead they stashed the money and bought themselves food. Things like goldfish and applesauce that normal kids packed in their lunches instead of pop tarts or frozen waffles. Kenny managed to bust through the drywall in the back of his closet to make a secret pantry for their food. 

 

Kevin was the best older brother Kenny and Karen, Kenny’s younger sister, could ask for. When Kenny entered his first year of high school, he was prepared to start working too. With the extra money the could afford hot food. In response, Kevin just replied with “No, you can’t work now. You need to stay in school. You and Karen are never going to get out of here without a proper education, ya hear?” 

 

Kenny had rolled his eyes but secretly he knew Kevin was right. And secretly he was glad he didn’t have to work. He knew that if he and Karen did get out of here, they would eventually be able to repay Kevin. They could have hot meals every night for dinner. So, Kenny stayed in school and tried his best. He wasn’t the best student, mostly because Kenny whole heartedly believed he was stupid, but he kept trying. 

 

Karen, on the other hand, was a genius. She received A’s no matter what the subject. She had a particular knack for baking. Kenny would sneak into her Home Ec class to steal those heavenly pastries. They had quickly become famous across the school. Karen decided that year she would start her own bakery and started taking business classes, which she aced. Kenny and Kevin both saw Karen’s potential and it was their silent pact to make sure that she, of all people in their family, was successful.

 

Kenny managed to graduate high school, and while his parents were too drunk to attend, Kevin and Karen sat in the audience proudly as he received his diploma. Kevin had dropped out to work full time. He made Kenny apply for college, and while Kenny had gotten into Colorado State, he simply couldn’t afford it, even with financial aid. So he decided to attend the local community college, which didn’t bother him in the slightest. He didn’t really care much about college but Kevin had insisted that he go. 

 

And so Kenny continued through his education. He got his degree in marketing and business. He figured he could get a job doing just about anything with that. Karen and Kevin had both cried at his graduation. Karen had hugged him tight and sobbed all over his gowns. Admittedly, Kenny never expected to get this far in life, and he owed it to his brother. That was the only time he had hugged his brother, but he felt the occasion called for it. 

 

More tears were shed at Karen’s high school graduation. She graduated Valedictorian and her two brothers shamelessly bawled during her entire speech. All be it, others cried too. It was all about how she made it here and all the obstacles she had faced. You had to be heartless not to be at least a little touched. She had gotten into Colorado State on a full ride scholarship. Both her brothers knew she was going places, especially since she could get out of South Park now. 

 

After graduating college, Kenny got a job at a marketing firm making ads for whatever washed up business hired them. It wasn’t the best job, but it was enough to send money to both Karen and Kevin as well as sustain himself. He was even pretty good at it and discovered he has a knack for drawing and designing ads. In all honesty, this was the best Kenny had ever lived in his entire life. Karen was excelling in college, as expected, and things seemed to be looking up. Or, so he thought. 

 

Kenny was supposed to be going over to Kevin’s to have a drink and talk about life. The two had remained close. Kenny was actually excited about the meet up. He had missed his brother (although he’s never admit it) and was ready for a reprieve from his typical routine. 

 

As Kenny bounded up the stairs to Kevin’s apartment, he heard a blood curdling scream. A scream he was all too familiar with. Kenny’s blood ran cold as he raced the rest of his way to the apartment. The door was cracked open, and Kenny pushed through. The sight he saw almost made the boy hurl. 

 

There was his good for nothing father standing over Kevin. Blood oozed out of Kevin’s skull and onto the floor, pooling around his head and making a sick sort of halo. Kevin’s eyes were half shut and his breathing was ragged. Kenny’s father held a gun to Kevin’s head and was screaming about Kevin refusing to give him some money. 

 

“Run,” he whimpered. 

 

The words echoed in Kenny’s head, but he stood still. He couldn’t leave his brother like this. Not the only person who had given him half a chance his entire life. 

 

Then there was a pop and a flash of light. Kenny flinched and his father laughed sickly. Kevin laid still, ragged breathing stopped and a red hole in his forehead. Kenny felt tears run down his face instantly. 

 

“You bastard!” He had screamed. 

 

The rest was a blur to Kenny. He knew he had charged his father. The two had fought. An other shot was misfired into the ceiling. Eventually Kenny had wrestled the gun away from him. Bam! Kenny fired a round into his father’s head and that was that. Kenny slunk down to the floor stunned. Then, he cried. He couldn’t do anything else. 

 

The police arrived and arrested him. Kenny had no choice but to confess. He couldn’t afford a lawyer and so he was appointed one. A shit one to be exact. Karen pleaded with Kenny, she would work two jobs to pay for one, but Kenny couldn’t allow that. He had already broken his silent vow to make sure she was successful, and he couldn’t put her through any more. She needed to focus on her studies. 

 

And so Kenny was found guilty of manslaughter. His lawyer had told him that he was “lucky it wasn’t murder.” Kenny was sent to the Park County Penitentiary. He got into fights, all of them landing him in solitary. He got to point where he had a special cell he went into every time. He had even begun to lose it a little, the constant loneliness taking it’s toll on his psyche. At one point he hallucinated that he was talking to Satan and then the next day it was God. 

 

And then he was given an opportunity, the first one ever just given to him. He was selected as a candidate for a new program whose goal it was to rehabilitate inmates with special circumstances surrounding their arrest. For Kenny, his special circumstance was watching his brother get shot by his father. 

 

Kenny faced a panel and explained his situation. He explained how Kevin had practically raised him, how he had given him a chance at life. He explained that the reason he even had a college degree was from his brother. He also explained how his father abused him. He showed them scars that could only be from one of the many belt lashings he had received. The panel allowed Kenny to be sent to the new facility. 

 

Kenny was relieved to leave Park County Penitentiary. The new place wasn’t so bad either. He had more freedom and the guards didn’t abuse him. He stopped getting into fights. Kenny realized that he could get whatever he wanted simply by sleeping with someone. Kenny lived like a king, anything he wanted at his beck and call. He had befriended Stan, Kyle, Tweek and Craig. Things weren’t so bad. Until a certain fat ass showed up. 

 

Kenny hadn’t fought anyone at the new place. He had become a lover instead of a fighter. Then Eric Cartman showed up. When he heard of Kenny’s services, he inquired about them. Kenny didn’t really know the guy and wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity, so he agreed. Then the fat ass went beyond the deal. The deal was a quickie, in and out, literally. Kenny would do a blow job for extra charge, but anything else he simply did not do. He had limits. 

 

Limits. Those were things the asshole didn’t understand. So when Kenny said, “No Eric, I will not let you tie me up. That’s not part of the deal,” Cartman ignored him. He did much more than just tie Kenny up too. He had Kenny tied up for six hours and did as he pleased. Kenny fought as hard as he could, but when a guy has a good 200 pounds on you and was already pinning you down on the bed, its hard to overcome him. 

 

Kenny was lucky he had his friends. They found out what happened and stayed with him the entire time. Kenny bled for a while and just laid in his bed motionless, replaying the scene in his mind. A deep seeded hatred for Cartman formed in everyone in the group. Kenny decided he would stop “selling” his body. The rest of them made it their job to keep Kenny safe. They watched out for each other. It reminded Kenny of living in his shit house. It reminded him of his siblings. 

 

When Kenny was alone those nights, he cried. He cried about his brother and his sister. He had let them both down. He cried about his circumstances. He cried because he hadn’t in so long and now he couldn’t stop. 

 

Slowly Kenny got back to his usual self. It took a lot of coaxing on his friends part, even Craig showed concern for him. He never really got over it, and he still wants to bash Cartman’s head in every time he sees him. But, he managed to forget about it for a while. His friends made him laugh, made him happy. So, he spent his time with them, laughing and joking. 

 

Then Leopold walked into his life. It was the first time Kenny had ever felt love outside of familial love. Kenny not only wanted to protect the small boy, but he wanted to spend all of his time with him too. He loved deciphering his facial expressions. 

 

Karen still stays in touch with Kenny. She sends letters and care packages. She comes to visit on occasion too. She opened that bakery she wanted, and from what Kenny can tell its really taken off. He’s proud of her. She took her life and did something with it. Kenny can’t say the same for himself. 

 

However, as Kenny looks over to the cute blond sitting across from him, he realizes it’s not so bad. He got to meet Leopold after all. And who knows whats in store when they get out. It’ll be hard with a record, but he would make it work. He would do anything for Leopold, he realizes. The thought scares him, but the soft smile that spreads across Leopold’s face when he catches Kenny’s eye makes it all worth it. 

 

When Kenny says, “What’s up, Buttercup?” and the boy just responds with a head shake as he slowly gets up and walks over to Kenny, placing a light kiss on his cheek, Kenny knows that he wants to hold onto this with everything he has. No sir, he was not going to mess this up. 


	9. Warning

Things had been quiet. Too quiet. Not that Kenny was complaining. He was perfectly content to spend his days with his fingers entwined with Leopold’s. Nope, he didn’t mind one bit. However, he was still on edge. He had been here long enough to know that when things got quiet, shit was going to hit the fan in the near future. For the mean time, Kenny’s plan was to stay close to Leopold and protect him at all times. 

He could tell Leopold was slightly embarrassed by it, his looks reading as, “really Kenny? You have to watch me while I take a shit too?” But the boy didn’t complain nor push him away, so Kenny decided he would continue with his body guard act. Not to mention it gave him a great excuse to spend more time with Leopold. 

Currently the two sat at their usual table with their usual friends as they usually did. Leopold leant his head on Kenny’s shoulder as Kenny absentmindedly played with Leopold’s hand, making sure to gently run his fingers over each and every one of Leopold’s. A quick look around the room revealed that most people didn’t really give a shit. This was normal. They were gay and there were a lot of gay people here. Kenny could see Token and Clyde giggling to themselves at the table closest to the door. 

And then his eyes fell upon that fat ass. Cartman’s eyes were fixed in a glare directed at their table as he shoveled food into his mouth. Kenny knew that glare, and he knew nothing good ever came of it. So he leaned closer to Leopold and turned his eyes to his table. Ignoring Cartman for now would be best rather than just pissing him off even more. 

Leopold sensed the shift in Kenny and looked up at the man. He could see the glint in his eyes and the muscles in his jaw tighten. Leopold grabbed Kenny’s hand and squeezed. Kenny sighed as his eyes softened. Leopold didn’t let go. He might not have been the brightest, but he only knew one person who made Kenny react like that. 

“Hey guys!” A voice called. 

The table all turned to find Scott, Cartman’s roommate, bounding up to the table. Kenny clenched his jaw again. 

“Hey Scott,” Craig said, suddenly somewhat nice to someone other than Tweek. 

Leopold noticed the entire table was on edge. Kyle and Stan looked between each other nervously. Tweek began twitching exponentially more than usual and Craig’s eyebrows furrowed together. Kenny glanced at Cartman quickly before returning his gaze to Scott. Scott slid into the spot next to Craig. 

“What is he planning now?” Kenny asked, voice low. 

“He hasn’t given details, but he’s planning on taking you guys out, starting with him,” Scott replied in a low voice, pointing at Leopold as he spoke. 

Leopold pointed at himself with a confused expression on his face. 

“Butters, meet Scott. Scott, Butters. Scott is Cartman’s roommate,” Kyle explained. 

“What the fuck. That mother fucking cock sucking son of a dick ass bitch,” Kenny swore, clenching Leopold’s hand tight. Leopold placed a hand on his arm to calm him, and Kenny’s grip loosened slightly. 

“Anyways, that’s my Cartman report. Stay out of trouble and watch your back,” Scott said as he slid up. 

“Scott, why the fuck were you talking with those fags?!” Cartman yelled. 

“Jesus dude calm down. You know that Craig and I grew up in the same town. I was just sayin’ hi to an old friend,” Scott replied with ease. He didn’t even show a hint that he had just ratted out his roommate. He just smiled as if he was talking to an old friend.

“Butters, it goes without saying that you need to be extra careful. If you’re Cartman’s target there’s no telling what he is planning to do to you,” Kyle stated. 

Kenny clenched his jaw again and tightened his grip on Leopold’s hand. 

“That motherfucker,” Kenny seethed. 

Leopold sighed and snuggled closer to Kenny. Kenny relaxed again and Leopold took the opportunity to kiss Kenny on the cheek, effectively diffusing the tension from before. 

“Gross!” Craig yelled.   
Kyle and Stan laughed and Tweek just smiled brightly at the two. Kenny was bright red and looked down at the table. He felt Leopold squeeze his hand and he smiled softly at the other man. 

“Aw come on Craig, we’re no better,” Tweek sang as he leaned his head on Craig’s shoulder and nuzzled into his neck. 

“Okay, now that’s disgusting,” Kenny chimed in with his typical shit eating grin on his face. 

Stan just smirked as he grabbed Kyle on either side of his face and gave him a quick peck on the lips. 

“That’s so fucking gay,” Kenny and Craig said at the same time. 

There was a short pause before everyone broke out into laughter. Leopold even cracked a big smile. 

“God, we’re all so gay,” Tweek said as he wiped his eye. 

…

After word of Cartman’s plan, Kenny was even more careful than he was before. Leopold didn’t even give him annoyed looks anymore. He just hung as close to Kenny as possible, not that he minded really. Leopold intensified his boxing lessons upon Kenny’s urging. 

“Just in case,” Kenny had said, and Leopold was more than happy to keep boxing. 

Kenny barely slept anymore. He sat up at night with Leopold curled in his lap, slowly brushing through his hair. Kenny knew it wasn’t below Cartman to try and spring them in their sleep. Leopold began to worry about Kenny. The lack of sleep was clearly taking its toll on him. Kenny’s eyes glazed over, like he wasn’t even alive, and the expression was punctuated by the dark circles under his eyes. When Kenny began to fall asleep even when he was standing up, Leopold knew enough was enough. Kenny couldn’t keep putting himself through this. 

Leopold dragged Kenny out of the line for lunch and marched them right back to their room. Leopold knew Kenny was exhausted when he didn’t even protest. Leopold pushed Kenny down on his bed and threw the sheet over him. Kenny could only manage a nod as he closed his eyes. Within seconds Kenny’s breathing evened out and Leopold crawled into bed beside him. He slowly felt himself falling asleep as he let out a yawn. What harm could one nap do? 

…

Leopold felt something cold slide across his back. When he tried to open his eyes to see what it was, he couldn’t. Eventually he worked them open, but when he looked around everything was blurry. Sounds echoed in his skull. He had a splitting head ache. He looked up and was just barely able to comprehend that someone was holding his wrists and dragging him. Leopold struggled, weakly thrashing about. A harsh “fucking fag,” bounced in Leopold’s skull before things went black again.


	10. Leopold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!!!! mentions of abuse, violence and rape.

Leopold was born to Linda and Stephen Stotch. For the first few years of his life, things were okay. He had a house and food on the table everyday. He was never uncomfortable and lived a life of middle class happiness. The perfect nuclear family. 

 

Everyone knows the perfect nuclear family doesn’t exist. Leopold’s father was a closeted gay. Every night he would go out to the gay bath house and hook up with some random guy that met his fancy. He possibly did this for years, but his family only found out when Leopold’s mom sent him to follow him one night. Leopold had witnessed it all. As a child he had unwittingly entered the bathhouse to only watch his father “wrestle” with another man. When Leopold realized what was occurring, he was shocked. He froze, and, being the cute little blond boy he was, was immediately accosted by a patron. 

 

Leopold had squeezed his eyes shut tight as he was picked up and shoved against the wall. He felt the nasty wet of the man’s lips and tongue on his body. Then, he managed a scream. Next, he was in his house. 

 

“Do not tell anyone about that, do you hear mister? You will be grounded forever if you do!” Stephen had harshly told Leopold that night. 

 

That’s when the constant grounding had started. Nothing Leopold did was favorable in his dad’s eyes, landing him locked in his room for most of his days. His mother was frequently out of town and was never around to “unground” her son. That was also when the fighting began. His parents would scream at each other, his father even began calling his son things like “freak.”

 

It was when Leopold’s mother began to catch onto her husband that the hitting began. At first it was just a slap. Leopold had been late getting back from school and his father struck him across the face. The act must have spurred him on, because the hitting only intensified. Next it was punching. Then it was the belt. The belt was Leopold’s father’s favorite and after he started, he used it from then on out. Large angry welts formed on Leopold’s back and Leopold had gotten used to sleeping on his front. The scars from his father’s lashings still remain on his back. He tried to hide them most of the time, ashamed of the dark, wrinkled flesh, but when Kenny found them he had just held Leopold tight. Leopold had cried that night. 

 

Now, Leopold’s father was not stupid. He never hit Leopold while his mother was around, but that was so rare it almost didn’t even matter. Leopold began to figure out that she didn’t really care about her son either way. She just didn’t want to know about it. 

 

Leopold stopped going to school around his sophomore year of high school. There were rumors about him being murdered or abducted by aliens, but in reality he had just been chained to a wall in his basement by his father. Leopold had grown up to be an extremely attractive and feminine boy. His traits were a high commodity for his fathers “acquaintances.” So Leopold spent his time chained to a wall and lying lifelessly on a dirt crusted mattress. Men came and went but Leopold has resigned himself to a numb feeling. He spent his time staring at the ceiling and crying when he was alone. He stopped eating and drinking. He was ready for it to be over. 

 

And then his mother found him. He vaguely remembers her crying as she unlocked the chains from his wrist. She put him in some new clothes and led him out the the family sedan. She drove them out to the river, put the car in neutral, and let them roll into the river. Leopold had screamed for his mom as he yanked the seatbelt free. He knew tears were rolling down his face. HIs mother reached out and touched his cheek.

 

“I love you,” she had said. 

 

She pulled a gun out of the glovebox. Leopold screamed more, fighting with his mother for the gun. He yanked at her hand, but she softly touched his hand, guiding it away from hers. Then she placed the gun under her chin and pulled the trigger. 

 

Leopold had never screamed so much in his life. He sat in his seat just screaming. When the water reached his chin he realized that he needed to get out of the car. Leopold rolled down the window and climbed out. He swam to the bank and pulled himself up. He always thought back on that day with regret. He wondered why he didn’t just keep her from getting that gun in the first place, or why he hadn’t used it himself or let himself drown. 

 

Someone had heard the shot and called the police. They found Leopold hours later, cold and turning blue. He was brought to the hospital where they immediately figured out what had been happening to the boy. His testimony was backed up by the medical evidence. His mother’s body was dragged from the river. Leopold never attended her funeral. Leopold’s father pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. 

 

The doctor’s had determined Leopold’s mental state to be unstable, for obvious reasons. He was sent to the Colorado State Home for the Mentally Insane. The years he spent there were nothing compared to being chained to his basement. To him it seemed that things just kept getting worse and worse. Leopold was placed on a shopping list of medicines, all of which he still takes. The nurses were known for their bad attitudes. Making one lose their temper could result in them taking their frustrations out on you. That was the last time Leopold had talked. He was just talking about how much he enjoyed fall time, which had apparently annoyed the nurse too much. Leopold landed himself in a straight jacket and a padded room. He didn’t leave that room until his last day at the mental institution several months later. Leopold had begun to see things that didn’t exist. He began to hear voices that weren’t really there. Time passed slowly when there was nothing to do but sleep and roll around. 

 

When they let Leopold out, he snapped. He ran through the halls of the institution screaming, straight jacket still on. He had managed to hold a needle in his mouth that he had taken off of a nearby tray. He rushed the nurse stabbing her in arm before he was wrestled to the ground. The nurse had him arrested, stating that he deserved to be locked up for assault. Leopold took the plea deal. It allowed him to be placed into a special institution that was trying to rehabilitate inmates. 

 

Leopold expected this place to be worse, judging by the trend from the rest of his life. He never expected anything good to come for the rest of his life. And then he met Kenny. Kenny was the first person to have ever treated Leopold with any kind of care or love that was genuine. Kenny was the one who showed Leopold that it was okay to be happy and that it was okay to be loved. Leopold even made his first friends ever. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that life’s hardships weren’t over, but at least he had found people that would support him through them this time. 


	11. Flames

Kenny awoke with a groan. His body felt stiff and he didn’t even bother opening his eyes as he rolled over. He noticed Leopold wasn’t laying next to him. 

 

“Hey, Butters, come over here,” Kenny groaned, eyes still closed. 

 

There was no answer. Kenny’s eyes flew open as panic welled up inside him. Leopold was no where in their room. Kenny sprang out of his bed and began running down the hallway. He should have known better. Kenny could feel tears rolling down his face. 

 

“Kenny? Dude what’s wrong?” Kenny heard a voice behind him. 

 

He turned to find Kyle and Stan standing behind him. 

 

“Butters! He’s gone!” Kenny screamed. 

 

“Butters is what?” Kenny heard behind him. He turned to find Tweek and Craig on the other side of him. 

 

“Let’s go,” Stan said. The group took off towards Cartman’s room. Kenny was running frantically, calling out Leopold’s name as he raced down the hallway. When they got to Cartman’s room, he was gone. 

 

…

 

Leopold’s head was spinning and he was vaguely aware of a blindfold over his eyes. He was sitting upright, hands tied behind him and feet tied to what he assumes is the chair he’s sitting in. The sounds around him still blur together and bounce off his skull. He can hardly tell where he is. 

 

The snarly voice that rolls around in his head is familiar. After several minutes of hearing broken up words and sentences, he pin points it as Cartman. That’s when the weight of the situation dawns on Leopold. Fear rises up and he begins to struggle. He finally had something good, something worth living for. He’d be damned if he was going to give it up without a fight. He had to get to Kenny. 

 

“Look, the fag is awake,” Cartman said. 

 

Leopold felt a sting across his cheek and realized that Cartman had slapped him. Leopold thrashed his body harder, trying to tip the chair. Cartman grabbed it to keep it from toppling over. 

 

“You’re little boyfriend isn’t coming to save you. You’re all mine,” Cartman sang into Leopold’s ear. 

 

…

 

“Kenny calm down. Let’s go check the dinning hall and then the library. They have to be around here somewhere,” Kyle said, already heading in the direction of the dining hall. 

 

Kenny was furious. His jaw and fists were clenched and his eyes were focused in a hardened and mildly watery stare. He felt a hand on his arm and looked down to find Tweek. The boy himself was holding back tears. 

 

“We’re going to find him and get Cartman out of here no matter what,” Tweek choked out softly. 

 

Kenny could only manage a curt nod, but Tweek understood that he was actually grateful. The group rushed to the dining hall to find a few loitering inmates but no Cartman or Leopold. They ran to the library to reveal the same thing. 

 

“Goddamnit!” Kenny screamed as he slammed his hands on the table. 

 

“Kenny you need to calm down. Do you know anywhere else they could have gone?” Stan said, holding onto Kenny’s shoulders. 

 

Kenny grabbed his hair and wracked his brain. He looked up suddenly. 

 

“The gym,” he whispered. 

 

…

 

Leopold felt blow after blow. He could taste the blood running down his face. This time he didn’t just lay there numbly and let it happen. Leopold kept thrashing. Maybe if he moved enough he could at least loosen the ties around his hands. He could feel the knots coming undone. Leopold wasn’t just going to take it this time. 

 

“You know, I have always been a fan of fire. Not to mention it’s fitting for a fucking faggot to burn,” Leopold heard Cartman muse. 

 

Leopold struggled more. He could hear the click of a lighter being opened and closed. Just a little more and he’d be free. He felt the ties slip off his hands. 

 

…

 

Kenny ran into the gym. Before him was Leopold tied to a chair and blind folded. Leopold was covered in what Kenny assumed was his own blood. Bruises covered what he could see of Leopold’s face. 

 

“You fucking bastard!” Kenny screamed. 

 

Cartman turned and smiled wickedly. Leopold pushed his blindfold off. There was Kenny. He had come. Leopold was relieved, but he knew he couldn’t relax. Leopold flashed his eyes to Cartman and Kenny gave a slight nod. 

 

“Oh, it seems you’ve found me. Oh well, you’re too late,” Cartman said, continuing to click the lighter. 

 

While Cartman was preoccupied with talking to Kenny, Leopold had quickly untied the knots that tied his feet. He stood up and rushed Cartman. Leopold jumped on his back and wrapped his arms around Cartman’s neck in a choke hold. Cartman period Leopold off and turned on him. 

 

“Fucking faggots. You deserve to suffer,” Cartman said. 

 

Kenny began to rush Cartman himself, but before he could get there Cartman had set his plan in motion. He clicked the lighter on and dropped it on Leopold. When Leopold’s pant leg went up in flames, Kenny forgot all about the fat ass. 

 

Leopold squeezed his eyes shut as pain rolled over his body. He opened his mouth in a silent scream. His breathing became ragged. The scorching heat crawled up his leg. Leopold was frozen in agony. 

 

Kenny slid to the ground beside Leopold. He knew the others were doing something, he could hear them vaguely behind the sound of blood rushing in his ears. His main concern was Leopold. Kenny reached for his waistband, yanking the pants off of him. Luckily his boxers weren’t on fire yet. Kenny could feel his hands burning, but he threw the pants on the ground away from Leopold. The skin of Leopold’s leg was an angry red. Leopold rocked slightly on his bag, withering in pain. 

 

“Oh god, oh god, Butters. I’m here, I’m gonna take care of you,” Kenny said as he frantically looked around the room. 

 

He saw Tweek running towards him. Tweek slid down next to him. 

 

“Oh god, third degree burns. He’s gonna need to go to the hospital. Nothing I can do here. I’ll go get someone,” Tweek said as he sprung back up into action. 

 

Kenny’s gaze followed the boy out of the room. He saw Kyle and Stan laying on Cartman to keep him still as Craig landed punch after punch. Then he looked down at Leopold. His breath was quick and his pupils couldn’t focus. Kenny took Leopold’s face into his hands. 

 

“Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay Buttercup. Tweek is getting you help, just stay with me okay,” Kenny said, tears forming in his eyes. 

 

Leopold looked up into Kenny’s eyes. Pain over flowed Leopold’s senses, and he could feel his head getting light. The adrenaline running through his system caused him to feel shaky and on edge, but Kenny’s face above him calmed him slightly. Leopold opened his mouth to say something, anything. The words caught in his throat. He couldn’t say anything. His voice was gone. 

 

“Shh. Don’t strain yourself. I’m here. I’m not gonna leave you okay, so you just keep fighting alright,” Kenny said. 

 

Leopold cracked a smile. Kenny made it sound like he was dying. Sure, he was in a lot of fucking pain, but Leopold knew he would survive. 

 

“Don’t give me that look right now.” 

 

Kenny could feel a tear roll down his face. Leopold raised a shaky hand and wiped the tear away. 

 

“God, I’m the worst. I’m supposed to be comforting you.” 

 

Leopold weakly rolled his eyes as he pulled Kenny’s face towards his, lightly touching their lips together. 

 

“Alright, out of the way. We’ll take care of this,” a voice said. 

 

Kenny turned to find a woman dressed in a blue EMT uniform walking towards him. The woman was followed by two other women in the same uniform. One was pushing a gurney. 

 

“Where are you taking him?” Kenny demanded as he stood up. 

 

“Park County Medical Center,” the woman replied without looking away from Leopold’s leg. 

 

“I have to go with him,” Kenny replied. 

 

“No, you cannot. You are still incarcerated,” the woman barked back. 

 

Kenny was about to yell back, demand he needed to go with Leopold, when he caught Leopold’s eye. His face was relaxed and he gave a short nod. Once Leopold was loaded onto the gurney, Kenny walked up beside him. 

 

“Everything is going to be okay,” Kenny said. 

 

Leopold pulled Kenny back down for a soft kiss. Kenny grabbed his hands and felt his eyes tear up. They began to move the gurney and Kenny ran to keep up. 

 

“I love you,” Kenny managed to whisper. Leopold smiled and squeezed Kenny’s hands before the EMT shoved Kenny out of the way. 

 

The rest of the day was a blur. Craig had beat Cartman until he was black and blue, and was lucky he got off easy with just a warning. Cartman was going to be shipped back to prison. Apparently, lighting someone on fire does not show that you are fit to be returned to society again. Many different people interviewed Kenny. People from the prison, the state and even the police made Kenny relive the day over and over again. 

 

When Kenny finally managed to get back to his room, he felt worse than he had all the day. The room was empty. Of course it was, but Kenny had to admit, he missed Leopold. Kenny himself felt empty without the cute blonde there to flash him looks of sarcasm, if those could even be a thing. 

 

Kenny was left to himself for a week and a half. Kyle, Stan, Tweek and Craig would all comfort and support him at meals, and sometimes Stan would sneak him an extra dessert. They assured Kenny that Leopold would be back soon, but Kenny hadn’t heard anything. Kenny would sit up until the early hours of the morning thinking about Leopold. Kenny drew all he could in that time period. He figure he would give them all to Leopold when he got back and it gave him a temporary escape. Then, one morning when Kenny was sketching his hundredth drawing, Kyle burst into his room. 

 

“Butters is coming back today!” he exclaimed. 


	12. Phoenix

Leopold’s time in the hospital was boring to say the least. The first day was full of people asking him what happened and others who were asking him how he felt. It was hard to answer them all considering he didn’t talk, but they figured out to ask him yes or no questions after a while. After the initial day, Leopold felt like he was watching paint dry. It didn’t help that the hospital had just repainted either. Leopold was hand cuffed to the bed and thus he required constant supervision even when he just wanted to go to the bathroom. Leopold did enjoy watching T.V. whenever he wanted to. 

 

Most of all Leopold just missed Kenny. He knew that Kenny must be worried, and all Leopold really wanted to do was see the man. The words he said before Leopold was rushed off to hospital rang in Leopold’s ears. Leopold couldn’t help but smile. 

 

Eventually, when Leopold could walk on his own again, Leopold was discharged. He couldn’t be more excited to be in a wheelchair as he was rolled out to the prison bus. This time, he wasn’t crying. In fact, he was more excited about going back to prison than one typically is. But, ironically, prison was the place where Leopold felt the most at home because a particular person was there waiting for him. 

 

He nodded at the driver as he took his spot, the only one on the bus this time. The drive seemed to last forever as Leopold tapped his foot impatiently. He drummed his fingers on the seat in front of him. When they arrived, Leopold sprung up, only to realize that he’d have to undergo the same process from his first day. He internally groaned as he realized it was going to be a while until he got to see Kenny. 

 

…

 

After Kyle’s news, Kenny ran to the entrance hall. He knew that Leopold would come through there. He stayed there for hours, pacing back and forth down the hallway. He was too excited to just sit down, so he paced. Sometimes he ran. Other times he attempted handstands against the wall. 

 

Kyle and Stan came through and talked with him for a while, but they eventually went to go eat. Kenny didn’t have an appetite. He just wanted to see Leopold. Craig flipped him off when he and Tweek passed through. Kenny returned the gesture with a crooked smile. When he was alone he strained his eyes down the hallway, looking for any sign of Leopold. 

 

…

 

Leopold shuffled his feet anxiously as he was _finally_ released. Leopold bolted out of the room, walking as quickly as he could down the hallway. He turned a corner and saw familiar, shaggy blond hair down the hallway. 

 

When Kenny turned from his millionth pace that day, he finally saw what he had been looking for. There was Leopold down the hallway. Kenny began walking towards him, trying his best not to break out into a run. Leopold could feel tears well in his eyes as he and Kenny got closer. He knew it was going to be difficult to hold them back. 

 

When they _finally_ reached each other, Kenny didn’t hesitate to sweep Leopold up in a soft kiss. Kenny placed his hands on Leopold’s waist as Leopold placed his arms around his neck. Kenny was a gentle as he could be, afraid that he might break Leopold. Leopold could feel tears beginning to fall down his face as the two separated. 

 

“I missed you,” Kenny whispered. 

 

Leopold just hugged Kenny tightly, tears sliding down his face. 

 

“Hey, don’t cry. God, don’t cry because you know that I’ll start crying,” Kenny said softly. 

 

Leopold pulled back and flashed Kenny a bright smile. Kenny smiled back softly. 

 

“Hey, get a room!” A voice called. 

 

Kenny turned and Leopold looked over Kenny’s shoulder to find Craig and Tweek walking towards them. 

 

“I’m glad you’re back,” Tweek said, wrapping Leopold in a short hug. 

 

Kenny couldn’t even find it in himself to shoot Tweek a glare. He was just too happy that Leopold was back. 

 

“You look good for someone who was lit on fire,” Craig stated. 

 

Leopold just smiled and lightly punched Craig’s arm. He knew that Craig wasn’t trying to be rude—hell, the man still had bloody knuckles from beating the crap out of Cartman—but that’s just how Craig was. 

 

“Well, we’ll leave you two love birds to yourselves,” Tweek said as he pushed his boyfriend in the opposite direction. 

 

Kenny waved to the two before lacing his fingers with Leopold’s. Leopold smiled brightly as the two started walking towards their room. Kenny internally groaned as he saw Stan and Kyle down the hallway. He understood that everyone was excited to see Leopold, and that was a good thing, but right now Kenny just wanted to _hold_ Leopold. 

 

But, Kenny can’t say no to the happy face Leopold had when he waved excitedly to Kyle. The two had become pretty good friends after all. Leopold gave Kyle a quick hug, which this time did earn Kyle a dirty look from Kenny. 

 

“Dude, I’m so glad you’re back. It’s been so boring just having to deal with these idiots,” Kyle said as he smiled genuinely as Leopold. 

 

“Hey!” Stan and Kenny let out simultaneously, which elicited a laugh from Kyle and a grin from Leopold. 

 

The group talked for a while, catching Leopold up on what had happened while he was gone. Without Cartman, nothing too crazy had occurred, but Token and Clyde did get caught “getting it on” in the bathroom. Leopold looked at Kyle with big eyes when he told him this before breaking out into a large smile while the others laughed. 

 

“Alright, I can tell Kenny is getting antsy. Plus, Butters is probably exhausted. We’ll catch you guys later,” Stan said as he grabbed Kyle’s hand and walked past the two. 

 

Kenny sighed. Finally alone. Before anyone could stop them again, Kenny grabbed Leopold’s hand and walked them swiftly back to their room. He closed the door shut and let out a sigh when they got in. He then wrapped Leopold in a hug, burying his head in to the crook of Leopold’s shoulder. Leopold smiled as he wrapped his arms around Kenny, squeezing him tighter. 

 

“How’s your leg?” Kenny mumbled. 

 

Leopold pulled back and lifted his pant leg. Kenny tried not to flinch at the skin that was dark red, scars traveling along it and up under the pant leg. Leopold noticed the slight movement and dropped his pant leg. 

 

“No, I didn’t, I’m just pissed. Not at you, at that—“

 

Kenny was cut off by Leopold’s hand on his cheek and a soft look in the smaller man’s eye. Leopold’s bruises were beginning to fade, but they were still there, scattered across his face in yellowing blotches. Kenny felt tears well in his eyes. 

 

“I am so sorry,” Kenny choked out. “I should have protected you better. I knew he was after you and yet.” 

 

Leopold leaned up and kissed Kenny, trying to convey that it was okay. It wasn’t his fault. 

 

“It is my fault. God I keep getting you hurt,” Kenny replied. 

 

Leopold sighed and gave a pointed look at Kenny. Kenny just closed his mouth and he wrapped his hands around Leopold’s waist. 

 

“What I said back there, before you left, I meant it.” 

 

Leopold was sure his smile reached all the way across his face. He pulled Kenny back down for an other kiss. Kenny got the message. 

 

…

 

Leopold was laying comfortably on Kenny, listening to the other man’s heartbeat. Kenny threaded his fingers through Leopold’s hair and the two were perfectly content to sit there with each other. 

 

“You know, I drew a bunch while you were gone,” Kenny said. 

 

Leopold rolled onto his stomach while still on top of Kenny, propping his head up in his hands. He gave Kenny a questioning look with one eyebrow cocked. 

 

“Yeah. I could only draw you though. Some artist I am.” 

 

Leopold smiled softly.

 

“And before you even give me that look, yes you can have them. I drew them all for you.” 

 

Leopold smiled more as he shimmied up Kenny’s body, planting a soft kiss on his lips. Suddenly, Leopold was hit with the urge to speak. It was one that he had drowned out for a while now, and for a bit he had lost it all together. But, he felt if there was one person who deserved to hear him talk, it was Kenny. Kenny was the one person who loved and accepted him no matter what, so Leopold knew that he could talk to him. 

 

“Ke-nny,” Leopold croaked out, voice hoarse and raspy. 

 

“Butters, don’t push yourself. It’s okay, really.” Kenny said, face contorted with concern. 

 

Leopold shook his head. 

 

“I love you,” Leopold rasped, breathing heavily in between each word so as to have enough air to push out the sound. 

 

Leopold’s throat hurt and he knew that he wasn’t going to talk for the rest of the day, maybe the week, but he had to say those words. Kenny deserved to hear those words from Leopold. 

 

Kenny felt himself tear up for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Leopold spoke, and he spoke words that hadn’t heard directed at him in years. 

 

“You’re voice is beautiful Butters, just like the rest of you. I love you too,” Kenny choked out. 

 

Leopold turned bright red, but still leaned down to give Kenny a kiss. Yeah, Leopold could get used to this. He didn’t know what was ahead, but if he could survive Eric Cartman, he figured he could survive whatever life threw at him next. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! First, I wanted to thank everyone who read this story and left comments. I really appreciate your support! Secondly, this is the last chapter of actual plot development. I am planning on writing a style chapter, a creek chapter and then an epilogue chapter. After that this story will be all done! I will definitely be writing more bunny stories so if you want more, keep an eye out. This story was the first I had written and managed to complete in years and the comments spurred me on! Thank you again for all your support with this story and I will definitely be back with more! ~Ciao


	13. Got Style?

Stan and Kyle had been best friends since birth. Hell, it was possible they had been best friends since they were fetuses. It had become common to see the two together at almost every possible moment. One day when Kyle was sick and Stan went to school by himself, people didn’t even recognize who Stan was. People knew who Stan was because he was always with Kyle, and people knew who Kyle was because he was always with Stan. When the two were apart it caused mass confusion. 

 

Things were good for the two best buds in their early years. They never left each other’s side and rarely fought over anything. When they did fight, they quickly made up in one day and were back to their usual “super best friends” routine. 

 

Then high school hit. With the start of freshman year Kyle had become very aware of the fact that he was extremely gay. With this realization came a whirlwind of emotions. For one, his family was Jewish and he did not want to risk an unfavorable reaction from them; he needed their financial support. He also knew that even if his family was okay with it, his town would probably riot. Finally, he realized that he was hopelessly in love with none other than Stan Marsh. 

 

The realization hit Kyle one day at school. Stan had slid up next to Kyle while he was at his locker and began talking about the hockey game they had watched the night before. Stan never moved away from Kyle, shoulders touching as he talked excitedly about the game. Kyle just _knew_ his face was bright red and he felt strangely giddy at the close contact. 

 

Then Stan was called by Wendy Testerberger, his on-again-off-again girlfriend. Before leaving Stan gave Kyle a quick nudge to his shoulder and then ran off with the girl. Kyle felt empty when Stan left and a little jealous that he had left him for Wendy. That was when Kyle realized just how fucked he really was. 

 

After that Kyle began to avoid his friend a little more. The last thing he wanted was to screw things up with Stan, and it was getting harder and harder to witness his tumultuous relationship with Wendy. When they would break up, Kyle would get excited only to be crushed again when they inevitably got back together again. It was too much for Kyle to handle. He stopped hanging out with Stan after school, claiming that he needed to study. He was on track to go to Harvard after scoring perfect on both the SAT and the ACT, and it was the perfect excuse to avoid Stan. Hell, Kyle only studied so much because he was trying to forget about his hopeless infatuation with his best friend. By junior year Kyle had managed to stop hanging out with his friend outside of school all together. Stan had football anyways, Kyle told himself. For Kyle, convincing himself Stan didn’t have time for him either made him feel less guilty about leaving his best friend out to dry. 

 

For Stan, high school was full of football and suffering through classes. Sure, it seemed like he had it all. He was the star of the team and he was dating one of the most popular girls in school. Not to mention he was pretty popular himself. So why did something feel off? For one, Stan couldn’t stay with Wendy for very long. It’s not like she wasn’t a nice girl, but Stan couldn’t even say that he liked her romantically in the slightest. Even kissing her was difficult for him, unless he was absolutely shit faced and could pretend she was some else entirely. 

 

Speaking of someone else, Stan missed his best friend. Things had always been perfect between them, and now with Kyle so busy Stan felt like something was missing. Maybe that’s why nothing ever felt right. He and Kyle had always been peanut butter and jelly, but now there’s just jelly and no one likes a jelly sandwich. Stan understood that Kyle was busy, and he knew that Kyle was going way further in life than Stan ever would. But Stan just couldn’t let their friendship fall apart like this. Kyle was the only one Stan ever felt totally complete and comfortable around. Like hell was he going to give that up. 

 

So Stan always texted Kyle about whatever party, outing or Terrance and Phillip marathon he was having first. Kyle was always his go-to man, but Kyle always said no. It was beginning to piss Stan off. 

 

“What’s wrong Stan?” Wendy had asked one day at lunch while Stan was staring unknowingly at Kyle across the room. 

 

“Nothing,” Stan replied, snapping out of his trance. 

 

“Stan, I feel like you never pay attention to me. I feel like I’ve always just been second rate to you.” 

 

Stan knew where this was going, and to be honest he was fed up. He was done with fighting with Wendy and he was done pretending to like her when he knew for sure he didn’t. 

 

“Look Wendy, you kind of are. You’re really nice and all but I can’t keep fighting with you. I don’t like you and you deserve to be with someone who does,” Stan says, not even bothering to look Wendy in the eyes. 

 

He knew she was crying and he knew that he was probably a little too harsh, but he was done with fake liking her. Instead he stood up from the table and walked over to where Kyle was sitting on his own. Kyle jumped when Stan sat down next to him. 

 

“I just broke up with Wendy, for good. I am for sure never getting back together with her,” Stand said. 

 

“Oh, dude are you okay?” Kyle asked. 

 

“About that, yeah. I’m fine. It was a long time coming. But you know what I’m not okay with, your bullshit,” Stan replied. 

 

Kyle looked at Stan with wide eyes and eyebrows pinched. 

 

“Yeah, you’re ‘I will never hang out with my best friend’ bullshit,” Stan continued. 

 

“Stan, you know—“ 

 

“No Kyle, goddammit we haven’t hung out this entire year bro. You don’t need to study that much. Just one night man, one fucking night. I miss you,” Stan added the last part quieter. 

 

Kyle could feel every repressed emotion well up into his throat after hearing Stan. Kyle couldn’t say no. Truth was, he missed Stan too. It killed him to say no to Stan. 

 

“I mean, did I do something?” Stan pleaded. 

 

“No, no, nothing I guess I’ve just been a little over the top. It’s stressful when people have all these expectations for you. I’m sorry,” Kyle whispered. 

 

“Don’t worry. I know the feeling. Everyone is expecting me to play football somewhere.” 

 

Kyle’s eyes widened. He had been so wrapped up in himself he didn’t even realize how Stan was feeling. 

 

“Stan, I’m sorry. I didn’t even—“ Stan cut Kyle off with, “It’s okay, really. If you want to make it up to me, show up to my party tonight.” 

 

Kyle smiled at Stan. 

 

“Deal.” 

 

…

 

Kyle was freaking out. He had never really been to a party due to his Stan ban, and he had no idea what to wear. He wanted to impress Stan, but he didn’t want to stand out. Kyle sighed as he threw out fit after out fit onto his bed behind him. He jumped when his phone rang. It was Stan. 

 

“Dude, when are you coming over?” Stan asked when Kyle picked up. 

 

“Doesn’t the party not start for a couple of hours?” Kyle replied. 

 

“Well yeah, but I need my best friend to help me set up, duh.” 

 

“Oh god. Okay I’ll be right over.” 

 

Kyle hung up and looked back at himself in the mirror. He decided he would go with jeans, a red and black flannel and his usual green hat. He threw on his timberlands and rushed out of the house, throwing his mom a quick goodbye before slamming the door behind him. Kyle let out a sight huff of air as he walked quickly to Stan’s house. When he arrived he knocked on the door and was immediately met with Stan’s smiling face. He pulled Kyle into the house and immediately began giving him instructions. 

 

So there Kyle was, organizing the alcohol and locking up all dangerous items in the garage lock box. He looked over at Stan who was hanging up streamers and he automatically looked back to the bottle of whiskey in his hand. _Not now gay thoughts,_ Kyle thought as his face turned red. 

 

“We need a celebratory shot,” Stan said, walking over towards Kyle. 

 

“What are we celebrating?” Kyle asked, eyebrow cocked skeptically. 

 

“You hanging out with me again,” Stan teased as he cracked open a bottle of Vodka and pulled out two red solo cups. 

 

He poured large amounts of liquid into the cups and handed one to Kyle. Kyle looked into the cup skeptically. 

 

“Come on dude, you at least owe me one,” Stan said before tipping the glass back and swallowing the liquid in one go. 

 

Kyle sighed and put the cup to his lips. Kyle took a sip and immediately squeezed his eyes shut. 

 

“Dude that stuff is disgusting. How do you drink that?” Kyle spat. 

 

“It helps if you just drink it in one go so you don’t taste too much. Plus, the more you drink the better it tastes,” Stan said. 

 

Kyle sighed as he squeezed his eyes shut and gulped the rest of the drink. Kyle shook his head as he placed the cup on the table. 

 

“So gross, bro,” Kyle said as Stan laughed at him.

 

Soon people began to file into the house, and Stan began to bounce around from person to person. Never once did he let Kyle leave his side though. Even when Kyle tried to drift back to allow Stan to talk to others without him hanging around, Stan grabbed Kyle’s hand and continued to drag him along. 

 

“You’re not leaving me on the first night I get you to hang out with you this year,” Stan said, and Kyle was more than happy to follow along Stan. 

 

Kyle vaguely remembers Stan pouring him a drink, and then another, and then another. Stan was right, the drunker Kyle got, the better the alcohol tasted. Pretty soon Kyle and Stan were stumbling over each other, laughing about how weird the other sounded. Kyle was surprised he was having so much fun, but he was with Stan, so it should have been expected. 

 

The two eventually found their way to the living room which had been converted into a dance floor. Kyle was more than happy to knock back another shot with Stan before lethargically swaying to the beat, feeling himself on the verge of falling sideways with each movement. Kyle couldn’t even make out what the song was. He could only feel the beat vibrating through the air. 

 

The room was extremely crowded, causing Stan and Kyle to be mere inches from each other. Kyle was so drunk he didn’t even register the closeness, but Stan sure did. He wasn’t sure why being so close to Kyle made him feel so _warm,_ a warmth that was distinctly different from the way alcohol made him feel. All Stan wanted to was pull Kyle closer. Stan’s eyes flashed down to Kyle’s lips and he felt himself blush. The realization that Stan wanted to kiss his best friend came as a shock, even though Stan knew he should have seen it coming. It was obvious now that he thought about it. He and Kyle had always been the perfect team, and girls, not even just Wendy, didn’t really cut it for Stan. But his best friend sure as hell did. 

 

If Stan had been sober, it’s possible that he would never had pulled the stunt he was about to pull. But good lord was he glad he was wasted that night. Stan leant down so he could talk in Kyle’s ear and said, “Let’s go to my room.” Kyle just nodded happily as Stan dragged him up the stairs. They both stumbled a bit, but Stan was a man on a mission. When he finally got to his room, he closed the door and locked it. 

 

“Wassup?” Kyle slurred. 

 

Stan didn’t reply he just stepped forward until Kyle was against the wall. 

 

“Stan?” 

 

Stan took a deep breath before he dipped his head and placed a light kiss on Kyle’s lips. Kyle froze, trying to decide if this was real or an alcohol induced hallucination. Stan pulled back shortly thereafter, feeling fear well up inside him. He was sure he had just fucked up everything. Kyle decided to take a chance for once in his life and leaned up, placing his lips onto Stan’s. Stan and Kyle both had huge smiles on their faces when they pulled apart. 

 

Suddenly, Kyle felt nauseous. He held up one finger as he ran to the trash can, getting there just in time to hurl. Stan let out a soft laugh as he walked over and rubbed Kyle’s back soothingly. 

 

“I feel gross,” Kyle said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

 

“Probably because you’re drunk,” Stan replied. 

 

“Well, so are you!” Kyle whined. 

 

“Yes, but I have spent most of my weekends drunk.” 

 

Kyle just rolled his eyes as Stan helped him to his bed. 

 

“The party is dying down anyways so I’ll go kick out the stragglers. Then I’m all yours,” Stan drawled with a sloppy wink. 

 

Kyle just turned over so Stan couldn’t see the blush creepy up his neck. Soon thereafter Kyle could hear Stans muffled voice telling people to leave, and then he could a soft “oof” and a “bro” when someone presumably face planted in the driveway. 

 

Stan closed his bedroom door behind him softly. Kyle turned and pulled the sheets up to his ears. Stan let out a soft chuckle as he slipped into the bed next to Kyle. Kyle closed his eyes contently as Stan ran his fingers through Kyle’s hair. Quickly thereafter both fell asleep. 

 

…

 

After that Kyle and Stan started dating. They tried to keep their outward appearance the same as it had always been in order to avoid any fights, and for the most part it worked. People just assumed they were just doing super best friend things all the time when in reality they were just making out in the janitor’s closet. 

 

And then one day Wendy approached Kyle after school while Stan was at football practice. The hallway was empty and Kyle was getting his homework from his locker. 

 

“Kyle, can I talk to you,” Wedny had said. 

 

Kyle was nervous. He really hoped she wasn’t going to ask him to get her and Stan back together. 

 

“Yeah. What’s up?” Kyle replied.

 

“I know about you and Stan. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna snitch, but I just wanted you to know that there’s no hard feelings or anything. If you need any help dealing with that mess of a man, let me know,” she whispered. 

 

Kyle turned bright red, but smiled and nodded none the less. Wendy pushed his shoulder lightly with a grin, and then bounced off down the hall. Kyle let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. He expected that to go significantly worse than it did. 

 

So, with Wendy’s blessing, Stan and Kyle continued being extremely gay together. Stan felt like he was finally living the high school dream and Kyle was just relieved to have years of repressed emotions out in the open. 

 

Senior year rolled around, and Kyle came out to his parents. Stan stood outside the house, pacing nervously and ready to offer Kyle a place to stay if need be. When Mr. Broflovski opened the front door, Stan froze and felt his stomach drop. 

 

“Come on in Stan. You’re always welcome here,” he said warmly. 

 

Stan walked into the house cautiously, not entirely sure what had occurred. He looked to Kyle for an answer. When the boy flashed him a wide smile back, Stan relaxed. It seemed all had gone well and dinner that night carried on like it usually did in the Broflovski household. At some point during the meal, Ike, Kyle’s younger brother, would “cut the cheese,” Stan and Kyle would laugh, Mrs. Broflovski would launch into a full lecture about the juvenility of low comedy, and Mr. Broflovski would just continue to eat his meal with an amused smile. 

 

It was homecoming night when they came out to the town. Stan had been playing in the game against the Denver team, and the score was tied with one minute left. Kyle had already bit his nails down to the beds and was left just nervously toying with his hat. They were at third and goal, and the tension was almost too much for Kyle to handle. The ball was set into motion and Kyle watched through his fingers. Kyle drop stepped, looked across the field, and then launched the ball. Kyle grabbed his hat while it was in flight, just _hoping_ that someone would catch it. And they did. Kyle jumped to his feet with the rest of the crowd and screamed. Stan caught Kyle’s eye and nodded his head. Kyle was too excited to even blush at the gesture. When the game was whistled to a close after the extra point kick, Kyle rushed the field with the rest of the fans. He looked around wildly for Stan, ready to congratulate him. When he found Stan, he waved and started pushing past people to get to him. Before Kyle could even get out a “Dude! That was amazing,” Stan had pulled Kyle in and kissed him, right there in front of Jesus and everyone (Jesus was really there at the game). The crowd went silent for a moment while Kyle turned bright red. 

 

“I love you,” Stan had said, and the crowd followed with a loud cheer. 

 

Kyle let out a sigh of relief before he let his sweaty boyfriend kiss him again. 

 

“That could have gone so poorly,” Kyle said after they had made it to Stan’s car. 

 

“It could have, but in that moment all I wanted to do was kiss you, so I did,” Stan replied. 

 

Kyle just turned bright red and put his head in hands. 

 

And so Kyle and Stan spent senior year extremely gay and out of the closet. Stan’s favorite thing was pulling Kyle aside in the hallway before giving him a kiss and continuing to class like nothing happened. They still continued to make out in the janitor’s closet, but Kyle and Stan both had to admit it was nice to hold hands in school and be like every other couple out there. 

 

Senior year passed in a flash and before they knew it they were graduating. Kyle had made it into Harvard, like everyone knew he would, and Stan was more than happy to play football for the nearby UMass. Stan knew that he wasn’t able to get into Harvard, and when Kyle suggested that he should go to UMass, Stan threw a temper tantrum that would put a four year old to shame. 

 

Once in college, Kyle studied more than he ever had and Stan practiced harder than ever. They both made time for each other though. Kyle was at everyone of Stan’s home games completely decked out in UMass gear. Stan spent every Sunday with Kyle helping him study. Kyle was on track to go to medical school and Stan was just trying to pass enough classes to get his communications degree. Sure, things were hard but the two made it work. 

 

And then one day Kyle and Stan were out in Boston, enjoying the city and each other. Stan was dying of thirst, so he made him and Kyle go into a convenience store. The place was run down and dank, but Stan browsed the shelves looking for a gatorade regardless. Then, men in ski masks walked into the store, and everyone knows that’s not a good sign. 

 

“Put your hands up!” One man screamed. 

 

Another stalked down the aisle towards Stan and Kyle. 

 

“Stan,” Kyle whispered, moving close and lightly holding onto his arm. 

 

“Kyle, I love you,” Stan whispered. 

 

“I love you too.” 

 

Stan stepped forward. 

 

“Stop moving!” The man yelled. 

 

Stan rushed the man knocking the gun out of his had. He landed one punch after another on the guy, until the man was swollen and purple. Kyle yelped when he felt something cold press against the back of his head. 

 

“Don’t move,” another man said from behind Kyle. 

 

Stan turned and his eyes went wide. Kyle gave him a confident look, trying to tell him not to move. He seemed to get the message. Kyle took a deep breath before quickly reaching behind him and grabbing the arm holding the gun, maneuvering it so it wouldn’t hit him or Stan if it fired. He gave a quick quick to the shins and a hard yank on the arm to dislodge it. Kyle quickly ran and picked it up, pointing it at the man that was originally behind him. At that moment he was very glad for the self defense class he took to fulfill his P.E. requirement. 

 

The man smirked and charged Kyle. Kyle flinched and instinctually fired the gun. It hit the man right in the stomach. Kyle looked at the man shocked, watching the color and life slowly drain from his eyes. Kyle dropped the gun and fell to his knees, throwing up in his lap. Stan rushed over and rubbed Kyle’s back. Sirens sounded in the distance. 

 

Kyle and Stan were originally relieved when the police came in, but then he and Kyle were placed in hand cuffs. Stan was enraged. They were the ones under attack. They were the ones who were going to die if they did nothing. Apparently the attempted robbers wanted to take Stan and Kyle down with them. The one Stan beat charged him with assault, claiming that he was beaten past the point of subduing him and was therefore out of the domain of self defense. Kyle was charged with manslaughter based on the claim that killing someone who was unarmed was too extreme to be self defense. 

 

Of course, in court both men put forth solid defenses. However, some people just don’t care. They just want to get out of court. But, due to their special circumstances it was deemed they would be sent to the new facility in their home state, which took a lot of arguing on their lawyer’s part and weeks in court. 

 

The next time Stan saw Kyle after the incident was in the facility. They had waited until the proceedings of the day were over before Stan wrapped Kyle in a hug, letting him cry. 

 

“Why did this happen?” Kyle sobbed. 

 

“I don’t know, but we’ll make it work,” Stan replied. 

 

“I had Harvard. I was on track for medical school. You were going to be a star football player.” 

 

“I know, I know. I’m telling you, when we get out of here I’m going to make a life for us. This is not the end.” 

 

Kyle and Stan both cried a lot that first month. They both felt like they had been cheated and that their lawyers had been tired of dealing with them and the case, making them settle for this shit hole. Eventually, things got better. The two could still be all lovey dovey. Kyle found solace in the library and Stan stayed in shape by running sprints in the gym. 

 

The day came when Stan was allowed to leave. Both knew it was coming, and Kyle felt a lot of turmoil over it. He loved Stan, but he knew that Stan could go places in life even with a record. He was personable and could make connections. He didn’t want to hold Stan back. And so the day Stan was supposed to leave, Kyle avoided him as best he could. Stan was stubborn and sought him out. Kyle wouldn’t even look him in the eye. Stan could feel his heart breaking, but all he said was, “I love you. I’ll call and send money when I have it.” 

 

When Stan left, Kyle took him off the visitors list. He never answered his calls or replied to his letters. Apparently Stan had managed to get a job as a receptionist for planned parenthood. He said it wasn’t the most high paying job, but it pays regardless and it was enough to support himself. Stan sent money, like he said he would, but Kyle couldn’t bear to spend it. He missed Stan so much, but he couldn’t hold him back. He knew that Stan would get better jobs just through his sheer personality and will power. Kyle wasn’t slated to get out for a couple of years, and that’s only if he was deemed fit to return to society. 

 

Stan was pissed. He and Kyle had been through a lot and he’d be damned if he let anything ruin that now. So, he walked into a store, picked up some random piece of clothing, and walked out of the store. The alarms went off and he stopped. He took the guilty plea. This time, he went to prison for real. Prison was a whole different ball game. There was less freedom and more people that want to pound your face in. When Stan, after months of trying, finally got an audience with the panel for the facility, he told them flat out why he had to go back. He had no idea how to lie his way in. He just had to tell them that he loved this boy so much he was willing to get himself thrown back into prison for him. Surprisingly, it worked. 

 

Stan was sent back to the facility where he now had to deal with a very pissed off Kyle. He was pleased to see they were rooming together, but accidentally punching Butters in the face was a little much. Although, it did calm Kyle down enough that Stan could talk to him. 

 

“I missed you so much,” Stan said when they had returned to their room. 

 

“You don’t think I missed you either?” Kyle replied. 

 

“Then why ignore me? Why not just call me at least?” 

 

“Because I can’t hold you back! You of all people had a future!” 

 

Kyle had begun to cry. 

 

“Kyle, are you stupid? There isn’t a future without you!” 

 

Kyle just sat there numbly, tears rolling down his face. Stan moved forward, angling himself so he could look into Kyle’s eyes. 

 

“Don’t you know? I love you,” Stan said before he leaned in, pressing their lips together. 

 

Kyle couldn’t help but lean into the kiss. He had to admit, he missed Stan and he was a little bit guilty about how glad he was to have him back. 

 

“The best part about me being back is that we get out at the same time this time around,” Stan said when they parted. 

 

Kyle couldn’t help but smile as he threw his arms around Stan. Sure, his boyfriend was an idiot, but he was Kyle’s idiot. 

 

“I love you too, idiot,” Kyle said. 


	14. Down the Creek

Craig Tucker and Tweek Tweak had known each other since the beginning of elementary school. Sure they hadn’t been best friends right off the bat, but they were nice enough to each other to tolerate the other. Craig just ignored Tweek’s twitches and paranoia and Tweek just tailed rapidly at Craig. The little arrangement they had worked out well. Craig never had to talk and Tweet could talk all he wanted without being told to shut the hell up. Pretty soon they were spending every lunch together and had become friends. 

 

Apparently the arrangement Tweek and Craig had didn’t just work well for themselves, others seemed to enjoy it as well. At first, Craig just ignored the glances girls would give him and Tweek when they were together. However, Tweek picked up on it immediately and sprouted more conspiracy theories about them. The most amusing were the girls were spies from Russia working in cahoots with North Korea to take him out, they were planning to tie him up and flog him unless he gave them free coffee, and that they wanted to wear his skin as one sick body suit. 

 

A couples weeks and many sleepless nights on Tweek’s part later, the two boys found out why the girls looked at them like that. It all started when Red walked up to their table. 

 

“So, the Asian girls say that you two would be totally cute together and we agree with them so like, are you two dating?” The girl had asked. 

 

“WHAT?!” Tweek screamed, already reaching towards his hair to start yanking on it. 

 

“So you guys are dating! That’s amazing! We are totally behind you!” Red exclaimed before running over to her table and loudly announcing the fake news. 

 

Craig was mildly shell shocked. He didn’t even have enough time to intervene. All of a sudden they were “dating.” Except they weren’t. Craig looked over to Tweek and realized he would have to contemplate the situation after he calmed down his friend. Craig sighed as he dragged Tweek out of the lunch room and to the bathroom, earning giggles and squeals from all the girls in the cafeteria. Once in the bathroom Craig locked the door behind him and turned to Tweek. 

 

“Tweek calm down,” Craig said. 

 

“Oh god Craig! They think we’re dating! We’re going to be ridiculed, made fun of! We’ll be the school’s laughing stock, or worse! The school’s punching bag!” Tweek screeched. 

 

“But Tweek we aren’t really dating.” 

 

“That doesn’t matter! People believe what they want! No one cares about the truth!” 

 

Craig sighed. The guy did have a point. 

 

“Then we fake break up,” Craig said. 

 

“Oh god! I’ll mess it up! It’s too much pressure,” Tweek panicked. 

 

Craig grabbed Tweek’s shoulders and said, “Dude, you are capable of more than you think. Tomorrow, we ‘break up.’”

 

Tweek twitched and panicked the entire day. When he got home, his parent’s stopped him in the hallway, looking grim. 

 

“Oh god! What is it?!” Tweek screamed. 

 

“We just want you to know that we’re so sorry son. We never knew you were dealing with so much, we thought you were just a spaz. Son, we want you to know we support your relationship with Craig,” Tweek’s father said as his mother placed a kiss on his head. 

 

Tweek just twitched more. He was panicking so much he couldn’t even refute what they were saying. He just rushed up to his room with a groan. 

 

Craig meanwhile just continued the day like usual. He was good at keeping a straight face while the world was going to shit around him, it was one of his greatest talents. He even maintained his cool facade when he got home. His father was fuming, and Craig knew why. 

 

“Craig! Why did you make that decision?” Craig’s father screamed.

 

“It is not a decision! That’s how he was born! I can’t believe you won’t accept you’re own son!” Craig’s mother screamed at his father. 

 

Craig just walked to his room to allow the screaming match to ensue. After tomorrow it wouldn’t even matter. 

 

The next day came and Craig pulled Tweek out in front of the entire class during lunch. 

 

“I am sorry Tweek, but I can’t do this anymore. It just isn’t working out,” Craig said, trying his best to sound sad. 

 

“What do you mean? Are you breaking up with me?” Tweek replied. 

 

It seemed to be going smoothly. 

 

“I am sorry to say—“ Craig was cut off by Tweek. 

 

“Yeah? And who’s Michael?” Tweek shouted. 

 

“Who?” Craig replied confused. 

 

“You know who. I saw you’re texts. I opened myself up to you man! How could you do this? I trusted you, let you in, but you’ve got spikes man, you’ve got spikes.” Tweek said sadly as he walked off in the other direction. 

 

The group dispersed and Craig didn’t miss the discontent mumbles thrown his way. Why did Tweek have to go so overboard? The worst part about it was that Craig was actually sad about the fake break up. He felt as if he actually had cheated on Tweek, which was impossible because they weren’t dating. Craig ignored Tweet the rest of the day. It hurt how much Tweek’s face dropped when Craig blatantly ignored him, but he did make Craig look like more of an asshole than he was already. 

 

That day after school, Craig ignored his parents entirely as he went straight to the backyard. He found an old bike and so he started working on it. He needed to do something to ignore the feeling of guilt that was building in his stomach. He didn’t know how long he head been turning the same screw before he heard his back door open and shut. Then Tweek was standing behind him. 

 

“Craig?” He said timidly. 

 

“What?” Craig snapped. 

 

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it so far.” Tweek said as he willed the tears forming in his eyes to stay where they were. 

 

Tweek had been more of a mess than ever since Craig ignored him. Tweek knew why, and he knew it was his fault. Tweek had effectively fucked up the only friendship he had ever had. 

 

“Then why did you?” Craig replied, willing his voice to stay level. 

 

“Well, you made me believe in myself Craig. No one has ever believed in me but you did! I just felt so happy that I took it a little far. I’m sorry.” 

 

“Sometimes Tweek, sorry isn’t enough. Just, go be gay with someone else.” 

 

Tweek sighed as he left. He couldn’t blame Craig, but he also had to admit he was sad. He already missed Craig and he knew it was only going to get worse. 

 

That night when Craig was in his room, his father decided to have a talk with him. 

 

“Craig, I just want you to know that it’s okay if you’re gay. I’ve learned that it’s just who you are, and that’s okay with me,” Craig’s father said. 

 

And that’s when it hit Craig, he really did like Tweek as more than a friend. He had come to enjoy listening to the kid talk non-stop and even found some of his theories funny. Craig internally groaned. He was so _gay._

 

Craig knew he had to make it right with Tweek. So, the next day Craig walked all over town looking for Tweek. When he spotted the him, Craig walked as fast as he could. He wasn’t letting him get away. Craig wasn’t good with words, and he knew this, so when he finally caught up to Tweek he simply held out his hand. Tweek smiled as he took Craig’s hand. 

 

After that they were essentially dating, but nothing about their dynamic changed. The only thing that was different was that now they held hands in public. Other than that they were the same Tweek and Craig they always had been. 

 

Years passed and the two entered high school still as boyfriends. However, hormones had kicked in for both of them and they both knew they were fucked. Craig was just trying his best not to breach Tweek’s personal space and send him into a panic attack. Tweek, who had mellowed out some since dating Craig, began running end of world scenarios about his feelings for Craig. In short, nothing really changed that much. 

 

One night, Tweek and Craig had been allowed a sleep over. Of course, the door had to stay open but considering the two had never moved past the hand holding phase, there wasn’t going to be an issue. Craig was internally freaking out about how cute Tweek was and, well, Tweek was externally freaking out about how handsome Craig was.But, for Tweek this just looked like a kid that was having a seizure and pulling his hair out. 

 

“Hey, babe, calm down,” Craig said softly as he gently pried Tweek’s finger’s away from his hair. 

 

Craig laced their fingers together. Tweek seemed to stop shaking as much, but he couldn’t stop the blush that crept onto his face. _Goddamn he is cute,_ Craig thought. 

 

“Better?” Craig asked. 

 

Tweek nodded and smiled brightly at Craig. 

 

“Yeah, thank you,” Tweek replied, ducking his head sheepishly. 

 

Craig decided he was going to take a chance. Well, his hormones and Tweek’s cuteness might have played a large role in that decision. Craig pulled Tweek in close, wrapping his arms around the skinny boy. 

 

Tweek stopped shaking all together and snaked his arms around Craig’s midsection. He had wanted this for years but always worked himself into a panic attack when he tried. Craig was just happy that Tweek wasn’t losing his shit. Tweek pulled away and looked up at Craig with wide eyes. 

 

“Um, Craig?” Tweek asked. 

 

“Yeah babe?” Craig replied. 

 

Tweek looked away bashfully before whispering, “kiss me.” 

 

Craig didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Tweek’s chin softly as he leaned down. The kiss was gentle, and Craig didn’t want to freak Tweek out. When they pulled back, Craig felt out of breath. Tweek smiled giddily. This time Tweek was the one that leant up and initiated the kiss, and Craig had to admit he liked assertive Tweek. 

 

The two continued high school much like a normal couple with hand holding, pecks before class, and make out sessions behind the school once the day was over. The two spent high school as two happy idiots in love. 

 

When graduation came, Tweek was of course freaking out. He and Craig had both made it into Colorado State, but Tweek was currently concerned with tripping across the stage that would result in a domino effect that would lead to the third world war. He could see it now. Craig just wanted to kiss his boyfriend. Of course, the day went off without a hitch. Craig and Tweek both graduated in the top five percent of their class. 

 

When college came around, the two continued life like it had been before, just now they could sleep over at each other’s with the door closed. Tweek was studying business under his parent’s suggestion. He knew that they wanted him to take over the coffee shop when he got out and he didn’t really know what else he would do. Craig studied astronomy and physics, planning to double major. Tweek thought he was crazy; Craig thought it was fun. 

 

College graduation went much like high school graduation had. Tweek freaked out, Craig kissed him, the day went as planned. Craig had landed a job at the NASA branch in Colorado and Tweek was officially the owner of Tweak Bros. Coffee. They lived in a tiny, one floor house together. Craig and Tweek were both busy working, but they never missed having dinner together. 

 

Then one day Craig walked in to find Tweek pacing back and forth and pulling at his hair. Things had been thrown and the living room appeared as if someone had ransacked the place. 

 

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Craig asked as he dropped his bag and ran over to Tweek. 

 

Craig gently pried Tweek’s hands out of his hair before wrapping him in a hug. 

 

“The store!” Tweek shrieked. 

 

“What about it?” Craig cooed. 

 

“T-t-there’s drugs there!” Tweek yelled. 

 

“Drugs?” Craig asked confused. 

 

“Y-y-yes! It’s meth!” 

 

“How do you know it’s meth?” 

 

“My parents told me! I go ‘Dad what’s all this powdered sugar doing in the back,’ and he goes ‘oh son, that’s not powdered sugar that’s meth. It’s how we’ve been so successful!’” 

 

“Your parent’s laced their coffee with meth?” 

 

“Yes!” 

 

Tweek was shaking. Meanwhile, Craig was planning. He wanted nothing more than to provide a better life for Tweek. He didn’t want to live in this tiny ass house forever and he knew even at the higher levels NASA didn’t pay much. 

 

“Tweek, I have a plan, but you have to trust me,” Craig said. 

 

“What is it?” Tweek asked. 

 

“We sell the drugs. We could make enough to get out of here and we only sell what your parents have. Once it’s out we’re done,” Craig explained. 

 

“Isn’t that illegal?” Tweek twitched. 

 

“Only if we get caught. But we’ll sell it through the coffee. No big deal alright?” 

 

“But there’s a lot of drugs.” 

 

“It can’t be that bad.” 

 

It was definitely that bad. There was a hidden door in the back room that hid the drugs. The secret room was filled with little packets of white powder. Craig couldn’t even walk into the room, that’s how much drugs were there. They were going to be rich. 

 

Craig got the operation up and running, asking his friend Scott to get the word out on the street. Forty dollars a pop, order the latte supreme and away with your drugs you go. The bag was placed in between two cups, making it look like you actually ordered a cup of coffee. Payment was cash only and there was a special compartment in the cash register for it. 

 

The operation started out swimmingly. The two were making bank, and, to Craig’s slight surprise, Tweek played it totally cool. He would bring the cash home every night and the two would count it. Pretty soon they moved into a real house, with two floors, and didn’t worry so much about money. The drugs were selling at a steady pace and they had almost gotten rid of all of them after about a year and a half. 

 

One Saturday, Craig was helping Tweek out at the coffee shop. The day was busy but they were having fun. Someone came in and ordered a latte supreme, and the two fixed the drink up. They gave it to the man and sent him on his way. The rest happened in rapid succession. First, a hoard of policemen burst into the shop. Then Craig and Tweek were in handcuffs. They were shipped off to the police station. 

 

There was no getting out of this. They were selling drugs. They both took a plea deal for less time, and went to jail. Luckily, it was the same jail. Tweek had reverted back to his usual nervousness from back when he was a kid. Craig tried his best to help, but he knew this was all his fault. 

 

“I am so sorry Tweek. This is all my fault. I told myself it was for you, but really I was just being self centered,” Craig had told Tweek on a particularly cold night. 

 

For the first time in years, Craig could feel himself crying. He never cried, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he got not only himself but the one he loved thrown into jail. 

 

“It’s okay Craig. We’ll get through it, like we always do. Plus, we still have some of that money saved in our savings account. We’ll be just fine. Dad even wants me to take the coffee shop back over when we’re out. I think he feels responsible for getting us into this. We’ll be okay,” Tweek soothed. 

 

For the first time in Craig life, he just cried and let Tweek hold him. He had always been the one to comfort and soothe Tweek, but it was nice to be the one taken care of. And Tweek had no problems with holding his boyfriend tight and running his fingers through his soft hair. 

 

The two had decided to face a panel and try to get into the new experimental facility. The two were allowed to interview together, and Craig is one hundred percent sure Tweek was the reason they got in. Craig was prepared to do all the talking, explain how originally the drugs weren’t theirs and that they didn’t want to get Tweek’s parents in trouble, which would have been stretching the truth but Craig had done worse. Instead, Tweek wove a tear jerking tale about how they were just working their hardest and yet they couldn’t make ends meet, and about how they were desperate because all they wanted was to adopt a child but they didn’t have enough money to even be considered. He ended with how they would never be able to adopt now, and Craig was pretty sure the judges were tearing up. Craig was so flabbergasted at the blatant _lie,_ but the tears at Tweek’s eyes made it all seem so _real._ The boy really was an impressive actor. All Craig could do to add to the story was hug his boyfriend and say, “It’s okay.”

 

Needless to say, the two were accepted into the new facility and we’re beginning to become like their old selves again. They shared a room and spent all of their time together. It wasn’t ideal, but Craig was happy that he still had Tweek by his side after all of that. And Tweek, he was not only happy that he had his boyfriend but also extremely relieved that North Korea hasn’t nuked the U.S. yet (although he still lives every moment in fear that it’s coming and he’ll just never know).


	15. Epilogue

Leopold was the first of his friends to get out. The night before he left, he lay in Kenny's arms and held on tight. He, ironically, did not want to leave. Sure, not being incarcerated was exciting, but there was nothing left for Leopold. His mother was dead and his father locked up for life. He didn’t even have a place to stay. In all honesty, he was scared. He had no money and was sure that he was going to end up on the streets. So, he just buried his face into Kenny’s shoulder and held on tight. The next day was spent packing and trying to hold back tears. Kenny helped him silently, and the air in the room was thick. 

 

When Chef came to pick up Leopold, Kenny walked with them. They stood at the gated door and Chef nodded at Kenny. Kenny smiled back and grabbed Leopold’s hands. 

 

“Butters, you’re everything to me. I love you, and even though you’ve been trying to hide that you’re scared to go back out there, well, I know you better than anyone,” Kenny said. 

 

Leopold felt tears begin to roll down his face. Kenny gently wiped them from his cheek as he continued speaking. 

 

“And I would be the worst boyfriend in the world if I didn’t at least help you out a little bit, so I arranged a little surprise for you.” 

 

Leopold looked up at Kenny in confusion. Leopold had begun to talk more, but he much preferred not to if possible. 

 

“I know you would not have let me do this if I told you, so I kept it a secret,” Kenny said as he gestured to the door. 

 

Through the glass window could be seen a beautiful young woman with bobbed, blonde hair— the exact color of Kenny’s. She wore blue jeans and a button up flannel, both of which were covered in flour. Her hair was pushed back by a bandanna acting as a headband. In her hands was a paper bag. Leopold looked at Kenny with wide eyes. 

 

“Yeah, that’s my sister, Karen. I called her and asked her if you could stay with her. She, of course, agreed and she has all sorts of plans for you,” Kenny laughed sheepishly. 

 

Leopold just hugged Kenny tight. More tears fell down his face as his shoulders heaved. Kenny ran a hand through Leopold’s hair. 

 

“She’s going to take good care of you. In a couple month’s I’ll be out and we can start a real life together, okay?” 

 

Leopold nodded as he pulled away, beaming up at Kenny. Kenny smiled softly as he leaned down and lightly kissed Leopold. Behind them, Chef cleared his throat. Kenny sighed dramatically. 

 

“Okay Butters, you gotta go, but I will see you soon. I love you,” Kenny said. 

 

“I love you too,” Leopold whispered as he was lead away from Kenny. 

 

Leopold pushed through the doors and was met with Karen’s smiling face as she waved wildly at him from the waiting room. She had Kenny’s smile, minus the gap between the canine teeth and molars that Leopold had come to adore. 

 

“Hiya Butters! Kenny has told me so much about you and I’m so excited to have you over! We are going to have so much fun!” Karen exclaimed as Leopold walked over to her. 

 

Leopold smiled at her and nodded excitedly. He could tell why Kenny loved her so much. She was simply an amazing woman.

 

The two walked outside and Leopold had to squint his eyes at the brightness. It had been so long since he had walked outside of a gated area. He had to say, the air did smell a little fresher on this side of the fence (although not being around sweaty men may have made a difference). 

 

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Karen said as they climbed into her BMW. 

 

Before Leopold could even marvel at how nice the leather seat felt against his skin, the paper bag Karen had been holding was dropped into his lap. 

 

“They’re some sweets from the shop,” Karen explained. 

 

Leopold looked into the bag cautiously. 

 

“Go ahead and eat them. They are for you!” Karen chirped as she pulled out of the parking lot. 

 

Leopold pulled out a chocolate cupcake that had an elaborate vanilla frosting rose on the top. Leopold took off the wrapping and took a bite. It was hands down the best thing Leopold had tasted ever. The cake was perfectly moist and melted in his mouth while the icing was not so sweet as to make him sick, but sweet enough that Leopold inhaled the cupcake in less than a second. 

 

“I’m glad you like it!” Karen said with a laugh. 

 

“It was so good,” Leopold croaked out, still not completely used to speaking. 

 

“Don’t worry about having to talk to me, I won’t take it as rude,” Karen replied with a wink. 

 

Leopold smiled brightly and nodded. He and Karen spent the rest of the ride in comfortable silence, with Karen occasionally humming along to whatever was on the radio. Leopold stared out the window in awe as he watched trees, shopping centers and houses pass by. 

 

Leopold’s eyes went wide when Karen turned into a neighborhood that had some of the biggest houses Leopold had ever seen. Karen pulled up to a house with a brick front and a red door. Off the side of the house was a garage that Karen pulled the car into. From what Leopold could see of the back, there was a sizable screened in back porch with an outside sitting area and a fire pit. 

 

As she and Leopold walked into the house, Karen said, “It gets lonely living in this big house by myself, so I am so excited to finally have someone else here too!” 

 

Leopold just stared around him in shock. The kitchen was pristine. Along one side sat every baking appliance necessary and next to that was the oven and the microwave. Adjacent was a clean space of counter with white cabinets over top. In the middle sat a stainless steel sink. Next to the open counter was a refrigerator and freezer that were both about four times the size of Leopold himself. In the middle of the kitchen sat an island with an electric stove on it along with a raised edge that allowed for a bar like area above the stove. 

 

Leopold couldn’t even begin to think about what the rest of the house looked like, but he was about to find out. He followed Karen wordlessly through the entry hallway that was lit by a crystal chandelier. He walked up the stairs and to a room down the hall. The room itself was simple, much to Leopold’s relief. There was a bed on the far wall next to a window. To the left was a desk with a desktop computer and to the right was a walk in closet. Next to the desk was a drawer. 

 

“This is your room! I have to run back to the shop, but please make yourself at home! I’ll bring dinner when I come back,” Karen said before hurrying back down the stairs. 

 

Leopold walked into the room and put away the few belongings he had into the drawer before sitting down at the desk and excitedly turning on the computer. It had been years since he’s been online, and he wondered if he could still get into his club penguin account. Leopold smiled excitedly when he was led to the server page. He did feel a little ridiculous as a grown ass man playing club penguin, but he hadn’t really been given an opportunity to grow out of the game. Plus he was still on a quest to collect all the puffles and, by god, he was going to do it. 

 

It seemed that no time had passed when Leopold heard the door downstairs open and close. Leopold looked up and realized it was dark out. He put the computer in sleep mode and walked downstair to greet Karen. 

 

“I hope you like Chinese food,” she said when he walked into the kitchen. 

 

Leopold smiled and nodded. He didn’t eat much, like usual, but it was nice to eat food that didn’t taste like wet cardboard. Fried rice had been a favorite of his when he was a kid. 

 

“You know, I could use some help around the shop. Would you be interested?” Karen asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

 

Leopold looked up quickly and smiled, nodding his head furiously. 

 

“Great! You start tomorrow!” 

 

…

 

Working at a bakery was hard. Leopold didn’t understand how Karen did this all on her own, and he was just cleaning the floors and appliances. He didn’t even do any of the hard work, but Karen was a chipper as ever. They had been up at the shop at four in the morning, which didn’t bother Leopold too much because he got up early anyways. Karen spent the morning making fresh pastries and giving Leopold a run down of what his job would be. It was simple enough and Leopold was happy to just be able to do _something._

 

The shop opened at eight and customers began flooding in. Karen smiled brightly at everyone and Leopold wondered how she did it. He was tired and he didn’t even have to interact with them. None the less Karen did it, and Leopold could see her customers loved her too. At the end of the day, Leopold cleaned everything and prepped with Karen for the next day. Leopold was exhausted, but he had to admit he did have fun that day. 

 

So, this was how Leopold’s days went. On the weekends he and Karen would go visit Kenny. Those were Leopold’s favorite days. Karen would ask Kenny how he was, give him some sweets, and make small talk before she would get up with a wink and leave the boys alone. That was when Kenny would grab Leopold’s hands and the two would continue their conversation. Before the visit was over, Leopold and Kenny would kiss before Kenny was whisked away. The two called regularly as well, and Leopold had a running count down to when Kenny would get out. 

 

Eventually, Karen began teaching Leopold how to bake. When he made his first cupcake, Karen had taken a bite and gave a full dramatical show about how good it was. Leopold laughed, but after that he was allowed to help make the sweets as well. Karen would handle the icing because no matter how hard Leopold tried, he couldn’t get the roses to look right. He was still extremely proud of the sweets themselves and he was happy he could help Karen out more. Leopold had even become a topic of interest of the customers. He had his own little fanbase that bought his sweets. Karen said that it was his quiet demeanor that pulled people in. 

 

… 

 

The day finally came when Kenny was supposed to get out. It had only been a couple of months, but Leopold felt like it had been years. He rubbed his knuckles together as Karen drove them to the prison. Leopold was practically shaking by the time they reached the prison. When they got in, Karen signed in as Leopold looked around wildly for Kenny. When he heard a buzz and the sound of doors opening, Leopold whipped his head around to find Kenny walking through the door in blue jeans and an orange parka. He smiled as Karen gave him a hug. Leopold just waited impatiently. 

 

When Kenny turned to him, Leopold practically jumped into Kenny’s arms. Kenny laughed as he squeezed Leopold tight. Leopold heard a faint “I’ll go grab the car,” from Karen but was mostly focused on the “I love you,” from Kenny. 

 

“I love you too,” Leopold replied, feeling tears rolling down his face. 

 

When Kenny leaned down for a kiss, Leopold met him halfway. 

 

That night Kenny and Leopold lay in bed together, like old times. Kenny placed soft kisses into the top of Leopold’s head while Leopold held onto Kenny as tight as he could. 

 

“I missed you so much,” Leopold whispered.

 

Kenny placed another kiss on Leopold’s head before saying, “I missed you too.” 

 

 

Leopold placed a soft kiss on Kenny’s shoulder before the two drifted to sleep. 

 

…

 

Leopold continued to work with Karen while Kenny began looking for a job. Many places wouldn’t even consider him, considering the whole jail thing. When he wasn’t looking for a job, Kenny drew and managed to make some extra cash from selling those drawings. It wasn’t enough for him and Leopold to move out of Karen’s house, but it was enough to start a savings account. 

 

After months of looking, Kenny finally managed to land a job at an up and coming marketing firm. The owner’s husband had bought one of Kenny’s drawings, and she loved it so much she sought out Kenny herself. Kenny jumped on the opportunity and soon found himself making ads again like he had done in the past. He still sold his art and now he had a steady income. The new firm paid much more than his last one and he knew that he and Leopold could probably afford a small house at this point. 

 

When Kenny told Leopold about this, Leopold’s eyes widened as he smiled. He hugged Kenny tight and let out a laugh. Karen, of course, objected to them moving out. 

 

“Who is going to keep me company?” She had whined. 

 

Leopold felt a pang of guilt. Karen worked her little butt off and the least she deserved was some company, but Kenny was set. They were moving out. 

 

“Get a boyfriend,” Kenny had said. 

 

Karen huffed and marched away. Leopold followed her and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

 

“He’s done so much for me Butters. He’s the reason why I’m here, so why can’t he just let me help him?” Karen whispered. 

 

“He doesn’t want to have sex while you’re in the house,” Leopold spoke up, turning red as he said the statement. 

 

Karen burst out into laughter, and Leopold was relieved that his plan had worked. 

 

“Well in that case, you guys better start looking for a house and I’ll start looking for a boyfriend,” Karen replied, her sadness seemingly gone. 

 

When Leopold walked back to Kenny, Kenny had a large grin across his face. 

 

“I can’t believe you said that!” He whisper yelled. 

 

Leopold just blushed more and lightly pushed Kenny’s shoulder. 

 

After a month of searching and negotiating, Leopold and Kenny finally moved into a small cottage about ten minutes from Karen’s house. Leopold still worked with Karen and Kenny was doing well at the firm. Karen had managed to find herself a boyfriend, which came as no surprise to Leopold or Kenny. The McCormick’s are attractive people and Karen basically had her pick of whoever she wanted. The guy was a writer and treated Karen like a queen, which made him okay in Kenny’s book—but only _okay._

 

…

 

Stan and Kyle both got out together. They stayed with Stan’s parents for a couple of weeks while they both looked for jobs. Stan landed one working as a janitor at a gym while Kyle managed to be a research assistant at the questionable genetics lab. They moved into a small, cramped apartment where the walls were crumbling around them, literally. Stan was working on becoming certified as a personal trainer and Kyle was finishing a degree in biology and chemistry at the community college. 

 

It took a couple years, but Stan became a personal trainer and Kyle got his college degree. It may not have been Harvard, but it was enough for Maphesto to hire Kyle into a higher position at that lab. Kyle had quickly become Maphesto’s protege, and soon Kyle was leading teams in his own research. The two finally were able to move out of their shit apartment and into a studio apartment.

 

One day, Stan and Kyle came across a small bakery. They walked in and both were shocked at what they found. Leopold was behind the counter laughing as Kenny, dressed in a _suit_ none the less, leaned over the counter and was talking cheerfully. 

 

“What the fuck?” Kyle said out loud, causing both men to turn to him. 

 

They both broke out in smiles at the sight of Stan and Kyle. Leopold rushed around from behind the counter while Kenny was already sharing a bro hug with both of them. Leopold gave Kyle a hug, happy to see his old friend again, and gave a hand shake to Stan before leaning into Kenny’s side. 

 

“You guys don’t look half bad. How’s life been treating ya?” Kenny asked. 

 

“Better these days. You two seem to be doing well,” Kyle replied. 

 

Leopold nodded happily.

 

…

 

Tweek and Craig were the last of their friends to get out. Tweek’s parents picked them up and let them stay with them while they got back on their feet. Tweek’s parents were more than happy to give Tweek the shop back, not wanting to deal with it longer than they had to. 

 

This time, Tweek found no drugs, just coffee. Tweek focused on making coffee that people would love without meth, and before long Tweek was making some goddamn good coffee. Even Craig found himself craving it. 

 

Tweek’s talent was recognized and before long people lined up out the door for Tweek’s coffee. Craig helped out in the shop and the two were making enough money to buy themselves a two story house in a decent neighborhood. Craig knew his chances working at a government facility were gone, but he didn’t give up his passion for space. He made a website that tracked things that were occurring in space and eventually it got very popular. Craig managed to make some money selling ads on the website and was even invited to give talks about it. 

 

One day, Tweek had insisted that they go into a bakery they were passing. Tweek was trying his hand at pastries and he just _had_ to get ideas. When the two walked in they were met with Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Leopold. 

 

“What the fuck?” Craig said. 

 

The group looked at them and before Craig could run, they had all collapsed on him. Tweek and Leopold hugged as everyone began talking and laughing, just like old times. 

 

“Guys, we should totally meet up. It would be just like old times, but better,” Kenny said. 

 

Leopold nodded in agreement. 

 

“Well, since you suggested it, we’ll all meet at your place for beers,” Stan said. 

 

Kenny just laughed and nodded. 

 

…

 

The night was a blast. Leopold had made appetizers and snacks that were quickly devoured by the men. They all went through copious amounts of beer and spent the night talking and laughing loudly. When everyone had gotten somewhat drunk, topics ranged from the client Stan had that threw a temper tantrum right in the middle of the workout to how mean Craig was to his fans. Eventually, the topics got a little more serious. 

 

“Dude, everyone keeps asking me when I’m gonna get kids and I’m like, ‘I am gay and also a felon,’” Stan said. 

 

Craig just laughed as he replied with “Yeah I just flip the bird to anyone who even asks. Plus, Tweek and I already have our hands full with the shop and each other.” Craig winked at Tweek as Tweek smiled brightly at Craig, leaning into his side a little more. 

 

“You flip the bird to anyone for anything,” Kyle joked, which earned him the middle finger from Craig. 

 

Kenny could see Leopold looking down at his hands and rubbing his knuckles together. Kenny gently took one hand in his and squeezed. Kenny knew Leopold wanted a family. Leopold wanted to save a kid from the situation he had been in, and while Kenny had never really considered kids before, he would do anything for Leopold. Plus, Kenny knew that Leopold as a father was probably the _cutest_ thing to ever exist. But, as convicted felons adoption is out of the question and it was impossible for them to make their own. 

 

“What about you guys?” Stan questioned. 

 

“Ah, well I guess we haven’t really thought about it,” Kenny replied. 

 

Stan just rolled his eyes as Kyle smiled. He leaned down and whispered to Leopold, “I might be able to help.” Kyle just winked as he leaned back into Stan’s side. 

 

The night ended with the group passed out on the floor of the living room, seeing as how they were all way to drunk to drive home and no one was willing to risk getting arrested again. 

 

…

 

A couple days later Leopold got a call from Kyle. 

 

“Hey Butters! So I work with a lady who’s pregnant. Her husband cheated on her while she was pregnant and now she’s in the process of divorcing him, but doesn’t want to raise the baby in this situation. She said she’d be more than happy to meet you and Kenny about adoption,” Kyle said. 

 

“Oh my god,” was all Leopold could say before he felt tears begin to roll down his cheeks. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Kenny asked from across the room, getting up from the couch and marching over to Leopold.

 

Leopold just held out the phone to Kenny. Kenny held it up to his ear and said, “Kyle, I swear to god I’m going to castrate you—“ 

 

Kenny was cut off briefly. 

 

“I take that back. Yes, we will meet with her,” Kenny said before hanging up. 

 

Leopold smiled through his tears before Kenny leaned down and gave him a kiss. 

 

“We owe Kyle big time,” Kenny said, smiling brightly. 

 

“Yeah, especially since you told him you would castrate him,” Leopold joked, wrapping his arms around Kenny. 

 

… 

 

The woman, whose name was Bebe, was stunningly gorgeous and extremely nice. She loved Leopold and Kenny, and even after the meeting she and Leopold called everyday. She was more than happy to let the couple pick the name, which meant that Leopold picked the name. Leopold spent weeks deliberating, but right before the baby girl was due he decided on Victoria. Kenny thought it was perfect and Leopold was pleased with himself.

 

Everything was prepared. They had painted the extra room, set up a crib and child proofed the house. A week later they were in the hospital, pacing in the waiting room as excitement welled up in Leopold. When the doctor allowed the two into the room, Leopold raced in. Bebe smiled up at them as she held out the baby to Leopold. He picked her up gingerly as he felt tears roll down his face. Kenny’s arm snaked around Leopold’s waist as he looked down at the baby. 

 

“She’s beautiful,” Kenny whispered. 

 

Leopold just nodded.

 

The next day they left the hospital, Bebe hugging each one tight and promising that they’d stay in touch. Leopold cried most of the time, too happy to really comprehend what was happening. Leopold insisted on sitting in the back with the baby on the ride home, and Kenny was correct in his assumption that dad Leopold was the _cutest_ thing ever. 

 

Leopold cared for Victoria the best he could. He definitely spoiled her, but she was a daddy’s girl. As she grew up, it was obvious that she was going to be just as beautiful as her mother. They stayed in touch with Bebe and Victoria saw her often, but she always did go running back to her dads. One day, she had flipped over the handle bars of her tricycle and ran screaming into Leopold’s arms. He gently picked her up to clean he scrapes and when he was done, she had insisted that he kiss them better. So he did. 

 

Kenny was sure she picked up most of her mannerisms from Leopold. She was gentle and treated everyone with kindness, even when they didn’t deserve it. One kid in class had stolen her lunch and been caught, but instead she just gave her lunch to the boy. When Kenny heard about this, he was upset that the other boy had just taken her lunch and was ready to raise a complaint with the principle. 

 

“But daddy, Tommy’s family isn’t like us. He never has a lunch. I’m sure that he was just hungry,” Victoria said when Kenny asked her about it. 

 

Leopold had smiled brightly in pride that day. Kenny just used all his strength to keep himself from tearing up as he wrapped his daughter in a hug. 

 

“You did a very good thing today,” he said to her. 

 

Although compassionate, Victoria was not weak. If there was one thing she had learned from Kenny, it was how to hold her own. When kids in her class made fun of her for cutting her hair into a bob—a hairstyle that both her fathers thought was just too adorable—she held her head high flipped them the bird, a skill most likely learned from Craig when he visited. Kenny was surprised to hear about the incident weeks after it had passed. 

 

“I really liked my hair daddy, and you always told me to do what made me happy. The kids got over it after a couple of days anyways. Today, one of the girls even walked in with her hair just like mine,” Victoria beamed. 

 

Kenny couldn’t help but be a proud dad. 

 

Tweek, Craig, Kyle and Stan all visited often, and they _always_ brought presents for Victoria. Kenny was sure that the way Victoria screamed “UNCLE CRAIG,” when the man walked in the room made him reconsider his previous statement about kids all those years ago. Karen had married the writer, and the two were expecting a child of their own. Suddenly, her large house was becoming a lot less lonesome. 

 

Sure, life wasn’t perfect. Work was a pain in the ass and Victoria chronically threw temper tantrums not uncommon for kids her age. She had once managed to kick a hole the drywall when Leopold had told her she needed to eat her broccoli. That landed her in her room for a week without computer time. But, life was a lot better than it used to be. Leopold felt like he was living in a dream. Kenny never even thought any of this would be possible. 

 

As the two curled up together on the couch with their sleeping daughter, Kenny and Leopold both were just happy to be where they were. As far as they were concerned, everything was perfect. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! So, this story is officially completely. Sorry for such a long wait for the last chapter, but things have been crazy. I again just wanted to thank everyone who has left comments for your support! It makes me really happy to read your comments! As promised, I will be posting more Bunny stories. As of right now I have a couple of ideas but I'm not sure what I want to do, so stay tuned for my next story! I will not be able to update it as fast as I did this one because of school and sports, but I will definitely try to update it regularly. Until then, ~Ciao


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